Love & War
by Queenie0
Summary: Imara has always been a free spirit. As a member of an African tribe that has held tight to the old ways, she can't help but be curious to the world outside of her own. But with rumors of a war breaking out between her people and settlers, and a strange (but fascinating) being that haunts the darkest parts of the jungle, Imara might have bitten off more than she could chew.
1. Chapter 1

**A quick Disclaimer! I don't own anything but my OC. Feel Free to comment and review and things though, I've had the idea for this story for a bit. Thank you for any follows or favorites C;**

Love & War 1

Imara (POV)

I loved the jungle. I was born there and I was raised there. My tribe was a part of a group made of a few other tribes that fought the new era changes that seemed to be spreading. We didn't want change, we cherished our traditions and our ways of doing things. I was just walking into our village when my mother walks up to me with my squirming nephew in her arms. Her dark honey colored eyes, ones I shared with her, shined with annoyance.

"Take him! He screams and runs and makes a mess of things." she growled.

I laughed softly and nodded, taking my nephew from his grandmother.

"Come little one. Let grandmother be to help prepare the meat for the returning warriors." I whisper to him.

My nephew, Enzo, smiles and wraps his little arms around my neck and I carry him off. We head back toward the forest, its lush greenery calling out to me.

"I will teach you to climb trees today little one. Would you like to learn?" I ask as I put him down.

We stood there in front of a grand tree covered in moss and vines. Enzo jumps up and down with excitement as he pulls on my wrap skirt i had tied tightly around my hips.

"Please Aunt Imara! Teach me to climb like you do!" he plead, his big soft brown eyes filling up half his small face with a pout.

I smile down at him and lift him up under his arms. I place him onto my back and tell him to hold on tightly.

I thank god swiftly for my tall frame then climb up the tree with ease. I can hear Enzo giggling in my ear as we go up higher and higher. Once we reach a far distance from the ground, I carefully unwrap his skinny arms from around my neck and his legs from around my waist.

"Okay Enzo, careful now." I chide him as I let his feet touch the thick wooden branch.  
"Brace yourself against it. Become one with the tree little one." I tell him.

Enzo nods slowly and hugs his small body to the tree, free now from my embrace. I grip a sturdy vine in my hands and pull myself up to standing. All around me was life. Birds twittering and flying from far off treetops. Monkeys hooting and fighting over food or mating rights to females. bugs and small animals flinging themselves from branch to branch or leaf to leaf. It was beautiful.

"Imara look!" I hear Enzo yell. Glancing over my shoulder at him, I smile. He was standing up on his own and beaming up at me proudly. "I did it! Just like you."

I brush my dark brown hand over his dark course curls that only occupied the top of his little head.

'In 6 summers, he has truly grown so much.' I think happily.

"What's that?" Enzo asks, a tremor of fear in his voice. I swiftly turn my head and crouch down, my long braids falling over my shoulders and down my back from the quick movement.

"Be very still, little one." I whisper as I take out a small handcrafted knife from the holster on my hip.

Staring intently before us was a jaguar; male from the looks of it. Its coat was a sleek black with barely visible spots. The large cat's yellow eyes followed us slowly, its teeth bared. I slowly moved in front of Enzo and with a nod of my head, he quickly hops onto my back. The jaguar lets out a harsh hissing noise and crouches down. I feel my heart beating a hole through my chest as I decide on what to do. In a split second, the large cat launches itself at us and I resheath my weapon and jump from my branch. The jaguar growls at missing its mark and I hold onto the branch with my hands as I look down. Angling myself, I let go of the branch to land on another branch. The cat wasn't far behind us, climbing its way down to us slowly. I can feel Enzo breathing shakily against my neck and I prepare myself to jump again.

"Hold on tight." I tell him as I brace my feet. Holding in my breath, I run off the branch and launch myself onto a whole new tree. The cat hisses and jumps too, landing close by. I let go of the branch I was hanging from and drop down onto another branch that brought us both closer to the ground. The jaguar growls out and takes a swipe at my hand, and with a curse I feel my grip lessen. Enzo shrieks as he feels us both falling. I grab for anything I can to lessen the impact of our fall. Last minute I grab onto a vine that doesn't break under our combined weight and use it to pull us both up onto a branch a few feet from the ground. The jaguar was leaping from branch to branch, sinking its claws into the trunk of the tree, its glowing eyes trained on us.

"hold on, Enzo! Whatever you do, don't let go!" I yell as I jump down, bracing myself when my bare feet and hands touch the dirt covered ground.

I sprint. Pumping my arms and pushing my legs to go, I hold my breath and just fly. The hard padding of the jaguar could be heard as it followed after us. It soon dawned on me though that if I kept running toward the village it could hurt or even kill someone. Most of our warriors were off in a hunting party, the tribe was protected by the younger newly blooded boys and the older men of our tribe.  
'I have to drive it away.' I realize and slowly stop running.

Reaching up, I quickly pull Enzo off of my back and push him in the direction of our village. "Go Enzo! Run!" I yell as I turn toward the big cat, who had just caught up with us and was watching us with a predatory hunger.

I knew Enzo was running due to the gentle sound of his feet pounding the earth.  
'Protect him.' I prayed as I took my dagger from its sheath once more.

Making a loud hissing sound of my own, I crouch low and brace myself. I didn't have a lot of heavy muscle on me, but I was quick and precise with my attacks. The jaguar eyed me for a second and then pounced. I brought my dagger up and stabbed at its left shoulder, cutting through muscle and tendon. The cat howled in pain and bit down hard into my arm in retaliation. I screamed and, from pure adrenaline, continued stabbing it. Its side, its paw, and finally my small dagger found a deadlier mark in the jaguar's neck. The cat slowly loosened its jaw and fell to the ground- dead.

I slowly rose to my feet on trembling legs, and flung my head back with a yell of triumph and victory. Breathing heavy, I bent down to the large cat and slid its heavy body onto my shoulders, prepared to take it back to the village.

I walked toward the heavy brush when suddenly I felt more eyes on me. Turning my head in the direction I felt the stare was coming from, I peered up into the trees and tried to focus my vision. A soft growling sound could be heard from the darkness followed by a few clicking noises. I hissed at the unseen animal and ran, the cat still flung over my slender shoulders. With both its blood and mine mingling on my body, I walked into the village to see everyone in an uproar.

Screams of panic and horror rang clear in the air. The Warriors, or what was left of them, had returned. They looked like ghosts of their former selves, their eyes glossy and unfocused. I ran to our family hut made of stones and thick jungle mud, stopping briefly to drop my kill on the dusty kitchen floor before running outside to find my family.

Cries from mothers and wives and children greet my ears as I step closer to the village square, the very heart of our tribe. I spot my nephew, who was holding on tight to my older sister Lyza. She was looking over the heads of the men, searching for her husband. I ran to them, Enzo being the first to spot me as I come over, and hug my sister tightly. She stares at me shocked before hugging me back just as fiercely.  
"Where have you been? We have been attacked! We think it is the settlers again, coming to try to lay claim to our lands." My sister tells me, venom in her tone.

"I had a bit of a problem, but it's taken care of." I rush out, sliding my eyes to my nephew who knew not to tell his mother of the many misadventures we found ourselves on.

"Oh where is Henri! I don't see him!" Lyza says as she hugs Enzo closer to her and peers more into the crowd of bleeding, wounded men.

I focus too, looking for the long single braid that my brother-in-law liked to wear when hunting. Spotting it finally I jump up and yell out to him,  
"Brother! Over here!"

He spins and heads toward my voice, his long braid swinging from side to side with every mighty step.

"Lyza! Enzo! Imara!" He yells and runs to us.

We all collapse into a group hug. After a bit of smiling and patting on the back, I leave the three of them to connect.  
"Imara!" I hear someone scream from behind me.

I turned just in time for my mother to engulf me in a massive bear hug. Her arms, though slender, were strong and crushed me to her tall body.  
"Mother." I smile as I hug her back.

"I saw the jaguar and thought the worst." She says as she hugs me once more.  
"I'm fine mother. You shouldn't worry so about me." I laugh softly.

"You have only seen nineteen summers! Of course I'm going to be worried! You should settle down, and stop going off on your own so much." She grumbles back.

I just nod and pull her towards Lyza and Henri, who were looking over at me with mixed expressions of pity and amusement.

"I heard about the attack. Our elder is having a meeting tonight on what to do. All able bodied warriors are required to attend." Mother informs us.

I look up at Henri as he sighs and nods. "It all happened so quickly. They just opened fire on us mid hunt." He says, his eyes overcast with confusion and anger.

"The elders will know what to do. They will figure it out." Lyza states with little confidence.

I sigh and nod, hoping for all our sakes that she's right.


	2. Chapter 2

Love & War 2

Imara (POV)

It was official. We were now at war. Lyza and a few others in our tribe were the only ones who spoke English so they were the elected spies. Mother worried of course about her daughter being so directly involved in the war but with Henri being a warrior and fighting them head on, Lyza felt she had to do something as well. Though mother didn't understand and begged her not to get involved, I understood. The need to help, I understood that. With help from the spies, we learned a lot about the enemy. They were builders from a far off place, very wealthy as well, and they mainly wanted our lands for wood and minerals. My tribe, the silver crow tribe, had a few other allies who agreed to help us if need be but even then, we were drastically outnumbered.

It was early morning a few days after the war was declared, and the village was quiet. I slowly lifted up from my bed of furs and put on my wrap skirt, the color like that of a sunflower. I put my braided hair into a larger braid that hung down my back, tying the end off with a stripe of cloth. I glance back at my bed and at the dark jaguar coat that laid across it. A rustling made me look over to my right to see my nephew, who has been staying with mother and I since his mother and father are away so much. He slowly opened his sleepy brown eyes and smiled up at me. I smiled back and put a finger up to my lips, letting him know not to make too much noise. He nods and rolls over in his little bed, falling back to sleep.  
I take my chance then and sneak out of the village. Heading deep into the jungle, I don't stop until I find the right tree to climb. Looking up at an especially tall one, I grab onto one of the numerous vines that wrapped around the tree's trunk and hoisted myself up. I grip the branch and jump onto another branch, slowly making my way up above the treetops of other trees. Once I was happy with the view I slid down the trunk and sat on the branch, my breath coming out in little pants from the climb up. Looking out at everything always made me feel smaller, like the things that seemed big really weren't so big anymore.  
A rustling noise came from my left, prompting me to grab my dagger from its sheath. I breathe in and out slowly as I stand up on my branch. The rustling continued from a ways down, and I crane my neck to try to see what was causing the noise. I gasp and cover my mouth as the sight before me fills my mind with impossible thoughts.

'It's not human.' Was my first thought as I lean down again to look at it.

It was impossibly tall. My 5'9 height was considered giantess in my tribe, but this creature had to be at least 7'3. The muscle on it too was very impressive. Large broad shoulders, thick muscular legs, strong arms and a powerful torso; all encased in a dark netting that covered most of his body. Brass colored armor was on top of that and it shined brilliantly in the early streams of sunlight. It had long dreadlock looking strands as well, ones that reminded me greatly of how some members of my tribe liked to wear their hair. This creature however didn't have dreadlocks, no, they looked more like tubes. Fleshy, like they were alive and some even had metal rings on them. I absentmindedly reached up to my own hair and fingered a bead I had carved from the bone of a small rabbit. I had a few more beads scattered in my hair, like many of the women in my village. I returned to the scene in front of me and continued to look it over as the creature was busy skinning some kind of animal.  
My eyes eventually, to my embarrassment, fell onto the spot between its powerful legs. There, I saw a cup of sorts.  
'Must be male.' I thought fascinated.

He finally was done skinning the animal and then began picking at its skull with his sharp talons. I looked closer at him and found his movements to be graceful, even though one wouldn't think so with his huge size. He also didn't seem to be affected by the height as well. Most people, or creatures, didn't deal well with heights, but he seemed all too at home up in the tree. He carefully balanced on the branch as he let go of the trunk. Taking a sharp knife out of a holster on his hip, he stuck it into the side of the skull, which on closer inspection looked an awful lot like a human.  
With this new thought, I felt fear finally make its home in me. It was a human he had been skinning and was now cleaning. He trilled softly as he looked at the off pink skull. He let out a low growl and then a series of clicks that sounded all too familiar to me.

"The eyes, the jaguar, it was him there that time." I say to myself as I glance away.

So, he had been watching me? But why? A flurry of questions swam in my mind, some I didn't even want an answer to. Glancing back down, I was shocked to see he was gone. The skinned, headless body was still there, but he and his skull had vanished. I looked down further but didn't see him, sighing I bit my lip and stood up on my branch slowly. I turned around to see him there. Less than two feet from me. He was staring down at me, the dark eye slots on the metal mask were emotionless. I try to steady my breathing as I feel his eyes once again on me, even through the mask. I glance to my side and see a branch not too far from me. Looking back at him, I chance it and jump. I land soundly on the new branch and look back up at him to see him standing there, his head tilted almost in amusement. I frown and decide to jump again, putting a few more feet in between us. I feel my tree shudder as he lands on the branch just above mine. I hug the tree trunk tightly until it stops swaying. He gracefully walks in my direction on his own branch before peering down at me. I freeze and just stare back, my heart beating a thousand times a minute.

"Hello." I say in my language, a dialect of Swahili.  
I hold my hand up and make an arch in the air in front of my face. He just continues to stare, bent down now on his hunches. I look down and see a close enough branch, so I slowly rise to my feet. This brings us almost face to face, and I let my eyes travel down the pebbled texture his skin appears to have. He growls lowly, and I swiftly jump again. Landing on the branch, I don't stop, I keep jumping from branch to branch. I can feel the tree swaying from his jumping as well, he was following me. I stop and press my back to the tree trunk, breathing a bit fast. He lands on my branch, and the wood groans under our combined weight. I stare up at him and try saying hello again, moving my hand in an arch.

He stops about a foot away from me and leans his head to side, studying me again. I guess it was revenge for spying on him not too long ago. The sun was much higher in the sky now and I knew I had to get back soon, or they'd come looking for me. I slid away from him and jump only to have him catch me midair, his large taloned hand wound tight around my wrist.  
I glare and then hiss at him as I use my free hand to reach for my dagger. Gripping it in my hand, I reach up and cut his wrist, making him growl harshly as his grip lessens and I fall onto the branch under us. One last glance up at him and I jump down, hitting the ground and running as fast as my legs will carry me. I can hear a loud snarl rip through the air, and I know it had to be him. As I approach the village entrance, however, I slow down. I turn around and stiffen my back as I wait. I knew he was here, I could feel him, I just couldn't see him.

"Imara! Grandmother wants you!" Enzo yells, running toward me from the village square.

"Stay!" I yell back, holding up my hand.  
I hear his foot falls lessen slowly before stopping completely behind me.

"What is it Aunt? Is something out there?" He asks in a shaky small voice.

"Yes, little one." I reply with a soft smile I toss to him over my shoulder.

Distant growls and clicks sound off before he makes himself seen to me. Though the dark shadows of the trees and brush hid most of him, I could see enough. His stance was ridged and soldier like as well as his head which was leaned back a bit in clear anger. I look down at his wounded wrist, and hold back my gasp of surprise at the sight of green blood dripping down his palm onto the jungle foliage.

"Aunt?" Enzo asks once more, chancing a step closer to me.

The creature hides himself once more and, from the sounds of it, leaves.  
I turn around and walk quickly to my nephew, picking him up as I walk back home. My head was swimming with fear and confusion, but in my heart was the one true feeling I cave in to every time- curiosity. I knew he was still out there, it was just a matter of time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry ya'll! This chapter might be a bit short, but still good...I hope. Don't forget to review and favorite! Thanks a bunch!**

Love & War 3

Imara (POV)

Only nightmares boasted so much scarlet. The deep crimson red covered everything, from the ground to my hands and face. The Warriors were coated in the stuff, not blood though. No. It was war paint. They had tall wooden masks that had taken the women of the village many moons to finish. Nighttime was coming soon and the chanting would start, everyone was practically vibrating with tribe has had this tradition of the war celebration for many generations, it was truly in our blood. We painted everything red and chanted, danced and sang around a huge fire that burned bright into the night. Drums started to sound as well as the sounds of flutes and other instruments, it was time. Henri was one of the many warriors lined up and chanting an ancient prayer.

The chant was in an ancient language that I couldn't understand, the words sounded beautiful though. Enchanting.

I sat with my mother and Enzo, clapping and stomping my feet to the feverish beat. Yet even with the upcoming planned attack, I had not forgotten the thing that lived up in the trees. I briefly scanned the darkness that surrounded us but saw nothing apart from the usual nighttime buzz of life. Since the last misadventure with that strange being, I had reluctantly decided to stay away from the jungle. No more early morning walks, no tree climbing, and no escape from this scary reality. War.

I stole a gaze in Lyza's direction to see my sister dancing beside her husband. Covered in red, she looked like an angry spirit. One that was hell-bent on justice. Moving from one way to another, she swayed without restraint. I couldn't help but get a sinking feeling in my stomach though, as I looked out at my family. My tribe, my people. My home. I felt we were all lost, already defeated. True we had spirit and passion for our cause, but we were outnumbered to a fault. The odds I feared were not in our favor.

"Come dance with me Imara!" Enzo shouted as he got up to pulled at my hands. I shook my head at him and kissed his little cheek,

"Not now Enzo."

He pouted, but was quickly pulled up from the ground by his mother. Lyza kissed her son and handed the squirming boy to Henri.

"My son!" Henri smiled as he spun around with Enzo high in the air. The sight of them all together was almost too much for me. I stood up and walked off back to our hut, the sounds of the celebration fading off behind me. Brushing my hand across the jaguar's pelt as I passed, I couldn't help but look out into the dark night. Hooting monkey calls and buzzing insects combined their sounds to fill the air with a comfortable hum. I yearned to run, just to sprint for once and stretch my legs. It saddened me to think of how long it had been since I last left the security of the tribe, I felt I needed more than just war preparation and village gossip to get me through my days. The memories of climbing trees and seeing the world from high up filled my mind to overflowing.

Just once. One more time.

I walked out of our hut and toward the village boarder, the wooden fences and my sanity were the only things keeping me from flinging myself into the night. The creature was still out there and no doubt watching me, yet I couldn't find it in myself to be afraid. I looked down at the celebration clothing my mother made for me and sighed. The skirt wasn't my normal wrap around, it had two long slits in front of my legs and a long piece of material that hung down the middle. My breasts were in a band like shirt that wrapped around and ended at my waist. The cloth she used was beautiful and quite soft, a deep red color to match the paint with little tan beads sewn on around the top. I mused over the idea of leaving for a while as I clenched the skirt's material between my fingers.

'Please, don't worry about me.' I prayed as I stepped out of the village's safe walls.

I took a deep breath and grinned as I broke out into a flat sprint. I pushed myself as far as I could go, just enjoying the brisk air as it slides against my face. Finally. Freedom.

I stopped after a bit to catch my breath and leaned against a tree for support. I was about to resume my run when a sharp snap sounds off from my left. I crouch down quickly as I reach for my knife. My heart sinks though, when my hand slides down the area on my leg where my holster and knife normally sit.

I curse my luck and quickly switch to plan B, which was to put as much distance between me and that noise as I can. I reach up and started climbing the tree I had used for a rest earlier, the branches proving sturdy under my weight as I get higher and higher up.

Peering down, I relax when I don't see anything following me up the tree. I settle on a tree branch and lean my back against the truck, trying in vain to slow my breathing. I jumped when a low growling starts up next my ear, causing me to twist around and stare wide eyed. The creature.

Its body was surrounded by shiny metals and what looked like fishing net. The thing on its shoulder moved around as if looking for something, what exactly I had no idea. It had a few weapons attached to its body as well, ones I had never seen before and I marveled at them silently. There was one weapon I knew of all too well though, and narrowed my gaze on it ‑ a knife. The creature edged closer to me and I stiffened my spine defensively, snarling at the creature.

I stayed in my crouched down position though, and slowly moved backwards on the branch, my eyes never moving from the mask's eye slits. As I was about to throw myself off the branch and onto the one under it, I'm left completely shocked and frozen in place.

The strange being had lifted up its large paw of a hand and made an arch in the air, then uttered a "Hello." in my native tongue. All I could do was blink at it, completely taken aback.

Did it just speak?


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I wanted to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! It really does mean a lot! Any Yautja lingo I use now or in the future is from the lovely possumpie1 on DA!**

 **Words: Ooman (human), Bhu'ja (The yautja's name; ghost or spector), Sei (yes).**

 **Enjoyxx**

Love & War 4

Imara (POV)

The moon shone brightly on us, the grand fire from the village long forgotten. The once buzzing life that surrounded us all seemed to fall into a silent hush as we stared at each other. He had his head turned to the side as he looked down at me. I refused to leave my tense crouching position, even after his attempt at a greeting. His clawed hands fisted and unfisted at his sides as time when on, neither one of us daring to move. Though not out of fear, I suspected, on his part. No. There was no way a fierce being like him would be afraid of anything, not in this jungle at least.

The moon was rising higher into the sky as the night grew on. I steadied my breathing and slowly stood from my crouch, my eyes never leaving his mask. At my full height now, he seemed to fully take me in. However, the soft clicks that came from him turned suddenly to harsh growls when I moved my foot toward the edge of the branch we were both on. I held my breath and finally turned my face away, a chill climbing up my spine from the sudden change in mood.

'Wasn't he mad?' I thought as I peeked over at his right hand. He seemed very angry with me after our last run-in, and yet he wasn't attacking me. The area I had cut before was directly under a strange wrist bracelet type thing. It was made of metal and looked far more advanced than I could make sense of. The scar I had made was barely noticeable against the lizard like skin texture he had.

"Strange." I whispered softly.

"Strange." He repeated, the sound a deep rumble.

I raised an eyebrow at that. Me? Strange? I watched him carefully, as he did me, and against my better judgement I took a step toward him.

"What are you?" I asked, more to myself than to him.

He made a clicking noise before shaking him large head. The dread-like hair flying whichever way as he did. I couldn't stop the slight smile that grows across my face, he just looked so much like me-but not at all at the same time. I slowly stretched out a hand toward him, my breathing slow as I tensed my arm in preparation to pull back at the slightest threat. He inclined his head as he watched the progress my hand made in his direction.

Skin on skin contact. I watched with wide fascinated eyes, his deep even breaths causing his large barrel chest to puff up with each one he took. My hand rested there in the middle, the strange feeling of his heartbeat against my palm reassured me of my decision. My decision not to jump and make a run for it. He looked so calm, so curious of me. His own hand reached up confidently and stroked one of the warthog bone beads that encircled my braided hair.

He let out a few clicks followed by low rumbling growls as he went from one bead to the next, studying them. I moved my hand to a necklace of different small skulls that hung around his neck. The sight wasn't so strange to me given the fact that it wasn't uncommon of the men in our village to wear necklaces and such made of bones, feathers, rocks and the like. It actually helped me to have a familiar sight to look at on such a vast being that was nowhere near natural to me; as far as I knew.

I held my breath as his hand traced a braid. It moved down the woven strand slowly, following its length until it ended against the small of my back. The feel of a sharp claw trailing my spine had me pulling back though. After what I saw him doing to that other body, I wasn't so fond of the idea of his hands anywhere near my back or neck.

'Or my head for that matter.' I thought as I looked at his large hunting knife with suspicious eyes.

The sounds of the drums were slowly fading in the distance. I took one last look at the hulking being in front of me before peering off into the night. My people were coming to the end of their celebration, the fire like a small light bug in the middle of a dark space.

I had to head back.

Turning back around, my brows came together as I saw I was alone. He was gone, and I was alone up here. I balanced myself as I walked out to the branch's edge and crouched down. I looked around and even took a quick deep breath of air in through my nose to see if anything around me was off, anything that might give him away. A soft purring made me turn quickly and I came face to face with him yet again. He was on the branch above mine and crouching down himself, the muscles in his legs all standing out profoundly. He reminded me of a predator animal, watching its prey lazily. I stood up from my crouch and came a bit closer to him, my movements slow and cautious.

"I have to leave." I told him, his emotionless mask staring me down.

I frowned a bit when a strange throb filled my chest, the mere idea of never seeing this creature again only making the pain increase. Why was I feeling this way? Though he hadn't directly hurt me, it didn't make him any less dangerous. The memories of the hanging bodies and severed heads though didn't make the ache go away.

He inclines his head as he too stands up to his full height. With the added height the branch gave him, he towered over me in the most terrifying way. Like an ant at the mercy of a child; though he wasn't child-like in the slightest.

"Return." He growled, my language a strange sound to even my own ears when it came from him.

"I can't. War is here, among us, and the people don't leave the village in times of war." I replied with a weak shrug. The thoughts of the impending war only made my heart ache more.

He growled louder and bent down closer to me, his masked face very close to my own.  
"Return." He repeated, only with more of a deadly tone.

"I cannot." I replied back as I turned from him.

I leapt from my branch but was taken aback at the feeling of a strong arm wrapping around my waist, leaving me to hang in midair. He pulled me up to his branch and backed me up against the tree's trunk. His body formed an imposing wall around me, preventing even the hope for an escape. I could feel the panic rising in me as he leaned down, some of his hair coming to fall forward against his wide speckled shoulders. He came so close that I had to turn my head, my cheek pressed against the rough bark of the tree.

"Come back." He demanded, his tone threatening and insistent.

Even as my heart thumped hard in my chest and fear seeped into my gut, I gritted my teeth and shook my head defiantly,  
"I cannot! Now let me go!" I snarled back, pushing against his chest as hard as I could.

He roared loudly in my face, the sound similar to that of a large jungle cat or the lions that lived out on the drylands. I closed my eyes and tensed my body, waiting for the pain that I was sure would follow.

But it never did.

He simply eased away from me, leaving me room to breathe a sigh of relief. He watched me closely then as I in turn did the same to him. After a few moments of silence passed between us, he finally spoke.

"This war. I will assist you in it." He decreed, his chest puffed up like a topical bird that was very impressed with itself.

I felt my mouth drop open, and my eyes go wide.  
"Assist? What do you mean assist?" I asked, thoroughly surprised. I crossed my arms as I looked at him almost not believing what I had just heard.

"Aid, ooman! I am offering to aid you in this war." He growled, his rough voice taking on a rather annoyed tone.

Assist? Aid? The idea of a massive being like him secretly helping my people in battle, oddly enough, made me feel more at ease. It was obvious to me that he knew his way around a weapon, and that fighting wasn't an unfamiliar thing for him to understand. I narrowed my dark honey colored eyes on him as I considered it, my mind working up to one question that had me in a haze.

"Why?" I asked, doubtful and wary of his answer.

"I will fight. Help. You will return." He replied back simply.

I bit my lip and considered the concept he was putting out. He wanted me to come back. Visit again. And he would in turn help my tribe, my family, win this war. My heart gave a heavy throb at the reality that I knew now, the very idea of them charging into battle against such advanced men like the settlers was a genuinely scary thought.

'But with his help,' I thought as I looked at the tall creature before me, 'surely we could win this war.'

That itself helped me to settle on a decision.  
"Very well." I said softly, turning from him to jump from my branch.

I started the climb down from the tree and listened carefully as he followed. He was truly a predator in his own right, so silent and graceful in his descent.

When my bare feet hit the ground, I let out a sigh of relief and stretched my toes against the soft earth. As I took a step forward, I was sudden stopped.

"Return." He repeated for the third time that night, his taloned hand wrapping tightly around my slender wrist.

"Yes, I will come again." I promised with a slight smile.

He grunted and released my wrist, standing straight and rigid as he looked down at me.

I started walking back in the direction of the village, the fire far off in the distance my only mark of home. As I walked I couldn't help but realize that I didn't know his name, or if he even had one.

"What am I to call you?" I asked absently over my shoulder.

He growled low and didn't reply at first, but before long he relented.  
"Bhu'ja. Means Ghost." He replied as we continued to walk together through the dark night.

"Bhu'ja? Bhu'ja." I repeated the name, training my tongue to become use to the name.

"Sei." Bhu'ja grunted again, sounding amused.

"You? What are you called ooman?" He asked.

"Well, not ooman," I scoffed. "I am Imara to those who know me."

He turned his large head from me and let out a soft rumbling sound. Sooner than I expected we were back at the village, the celebration still going but everyone had settled down. They were listening to one of our elders as he made a show of retelling older stories of past wars our tribe had won. We have all heard the stories before, but they were truly great tales and retold many times over.

A soft purring fluttered against my skin and I turned back to him, Bhu-ja.

"Imara." He repeated, my name a deep rumble from his chest.

I nodded my head to let him know he got it right and he did the same, then fading before my eyes-he was gone.

A ghost, yes I suppose he was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Ok guys! It's here! Chapter 5 is up! Thanks again for any follows, favorites, and views! Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! Should I write the next chapter in Bhu'ja's POV?**

Love & War 5

Imara (POV)

The night of celebration was coming to an end. The village was quiet, sleeping, and it was only then that I stirred from my bed. Though it was dark, I could tell that sunrise was on its way. I could practically feel it. When the sun rises, so will my people. They'd awaken the whole village with loud drums, the sound a thundering boom that could never be unheard. The drums announced war and I couldn't, I wouldn't, let them go head first into a war they had little hope of winning.

Not alone at least.

Enzo was curled up against my side, his skinny legs wrapped around one of mine. As I slid silently from my bed, I cooed and hushed him as he whimpered in his sleep. Whether it was from the loss of warmth or the impending battle, I wasn't sure. It didn't make me less worried for him though.

"Hush now, little one. All is well, truly it is." I whispered into his ear, my thumb stroking small circles on the side of his small face. He gave a sleepy smile before snuggling up tight to my pillow.

I crept from our hut soon after and willed my feet to be silent as I made the trek to the tribe's fenced in border. Crossing the safe line, I ran into the jungle with a set goal in mind; I had to find Bhu'ja again. We needed to plan out just how he was going to help us in the near battle. It had not been long since we last saw one another, yet I found myself also eager to see him again.

"Bhu'ja! Bhu'ja!" I called out, trying my best not to raise my voice too much.

As I walked, carefully stepping over vines and rocks, I started to feel as if I was being watched. Eyes that traveled from my beaded hair to my dark blue skirt and band styled top, then to my fit legs as they trudged along. I couldn't stop the soft shiver that ran up my back as I felt the presence come closer, my guess was from above. I finally stopped and slowly brought my deep honey eyes up to stare at a hazy figure as it crouched down on a thick branch. The soft hum of a purr vibrated from it as the figure slowly came into view before me.

I held my breath as a slow smile spread across my face.

"Well come down now. We have much to discuss." I muttered lowly, my hands intertwined anxiously with each other as they laid against my stomach.

Turning around and walking a bit from him, I gave him room to jump down. His descent was silent, his feet barely making a sound as they landed on the soft earth. A quick stretch of his shoulders and he looked over at me expectantly. His metal mask was still firmly in place and oddly enough I found myself wanting to remove it. His face was a mystery to me, as were a few other things about him. I felt my face grow warm with my blush as I saw his head tilt as he watched me.

'I had been staring at him and didn't even realize.' I thought with an embarrassed grumble. Shaking my head, I cleared my throat with sigh.

"Come now. We need to find the enemy first, set a plan of attack for you. I mean...you cannot just go charging in there." I chuckled at the very idea.

Walking ahead, I headed for the direction Lyza told me their camp was. I still remembered the look of brief shock when I asked her first, her face highlighted from the fire's soft light. It had been a quiet night that night, yet her eyes spoke to me as she watched me suspiciously. I did get her to retell her recent news of the settler's camp location though, so I considered my case won. Bhu'ja followed close behind me, his footfalls soft and unnoticed. Once we got close and I could see the low light their fire gave off, I climbed up a nearby tree and settled on a branch that was covered in foliage and hidden away.

There were a few tall trees that surrounded the camp, the clearing shaped similar to a bird's egg. I motioned for Bhu'ja to climb up the tree too, so he could see what I saw. Yet, he simply stared at me, his head tilted slightly to the side. Now that I noticed, he seemed to do that a lot when he looked at me. Frowning deeply, I waved my hand in a "come here" motion, my eyes set in a determined glare. Bhu'ja trilled as he slowly turned his head away from me and vanished before my eyes. His vague hazy figure could be made out, but only when one looked for him. Bhu'ja then slipped toward the sleeping men, hiding himself in the darkness and shadows that melted together in the night, it was becoming increasingly and painfully obvious as to how he earned his name.

I watched with nervous eyes as I struggled to follow his hazy movements. Bhu'ja went from one man to the next, just staring before he would fire off a bunch of clicking noises. It looked to me as if he were analyzing them, finding their weaknesses while they laid completely vulnerable in their sleeping states.

He then moved on to their belongings, mainly their weapons. After just sitting and watching I couldn't stand hiding any longer, so against my better judgement I climbed down. The clearing had an eerie hush through it that chilled me to the core. I quickly made my way to Bhu'ja, who was now visible to me and was looking over different papers and such with what looked like great interest. I gently touched his arm and used it to pull the paper down so I could see as well. The lines that covered it and crossed in different directions made no sense to me. I frowned as I looked up at Bhu'ja who was putting down the paper.

"What is it?" I asked in a small whisper.

"A map." He muttered as he lifted up his arm to type on the wrist bracelet. Red symbols appeared before fading away.

I bit my lip and cursed myself for all the times I had refused to let Lyza explain the inventions of the new world as she learned them herself. I had wanted nothing to do with them, as did most of the tribe, but that all seemed for not now. It seemed my ignorance would be my pitfall.

"What is a map?" I asked, my face once again heating up with a blush when he slowly turns to look at me.

"A paper with virtual directions to a location." He trilled softly.

I nodded and turned from him to look again at the map, as he called it. I saw patches of green with blue lines crossing over it in different twisting turns. A map meant a location. There were small red X's on different parts of the map, forming a circle around a tan part on the paper. I picked up the map and turned to see Bhu'ja staring down at me, almost expectantly.

"What is this area?" I asked as I pointed to the tan space.

He growled quietly before typing on his wrist bracelet again. After a silent moment passes, he looked up at me. I couldn't see his expression, but I knew it wasn't good.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice growing louder.

"Your tribe's land." He replied with a fairly neutral growl.

I felt my eyes grow wide as I looked back down to stare once again at the map. Another attack-the settlers were planning another attack. I definitely knew an attack plan when I saw one. They planned to surround us, corner us like wild animals before capture. There were more symbols on the top corner that looked like numbers, as Lyza called them. Looking at the numbers, they seemed to spell out a date. My tribe didn't use a numerical system to keep track of our days, we simply lived. One never knew if they'd see tomorrow. We did, however, use the sun's position in the sky to tell when a day was coming to an end.

I turned to Bhu'ja, who was tracing a talon down the length of a metal weapon.  
"The date, what day does it talk about?" I asked quickly as I held up the map.

He considered it before growling,  
"Today." He replied.

I felt the map slip out of my grasp as I held my hand over my mouth in shock. Today? They were going to attack today? That only meant that...they knew. And we thought we had an angle, a chance to sneak up and catch them unaware.

I guess...we were wrong.

I bit my lip as the all familiar ache started up again in my chest. Picking up the map and folding it, I decided to keep it with me. I tucked it between my hip and the tightly tied skirt, moving only when I was sure that it wouldn't slid out. As I turned around, I noticed I was alone in the camp. I quickly stepped around the sleeping men and sank into the shadows around the clearing.

I started walking back to the village, my mind in a frenzy over the new information. We had to think of something. Our angle was blown, the settlers were going to attack at the same time as us. With their guns and other ammunition, as Lyza called it, against our arrows and spears-we stood no chance of survival.

"This isn't going to be a war, it's going to be a massacre." I whispered to myself, my throat growing tight from the insistent ache in my chest.

Bhu'ja appeared then, standing before me as tall and strong as ever. He tilted his head as he reached a hand up to my face and touched his clawed hand to my cheek. His finger came back with a tear, which he observed with mild interest.

"You promised you would help." I said as I watched him closely. He was, after all, our only hope.

Bhu'ja purred as he stepped closer to me, the hand against my face traveling down to my chin, then my shoulder before dropping down to my waist. The sharp points of his talons leave a tingling trail across my skin as he brings his hand to a stop against my hip. Pulling down the side of my skirt slowly, he slides the map free. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and take a shaky step back.

Bhu'ja makes a trilling sound again as he shakes his hair out, causing it to fly around his shoulders before settling around him. I think I could honestly say he was smirking at me. I don't know how, I could just feel it.

He looked over the map and placed it against a tree, taking a small carving knife from a holster against his side. He then skewers the thin paper with it so that the map could hang freely against the tree without needing to be held up. He points to all the red X's and then points to himself, his chest puffing out just a bit.

"I will end them. Kill any others too that try to pass into tribe land during battle." He decreed with a threatening growl.

I didn't even try to stop the smile that blooms across my face. With a stern nod, I placed my hand against his wide chest. A loud deep purr started up and I felt myself get pulled into that mellow hum. His heartbeat thumps against my palm and I find myself wishing I could just stay like this forever. Numb from anything but his purring and the reassuring sound of his heart.

"Thank you, Bhu'ja." I whispered softly.

He looked down at me and added a trill to the purring he had already been doing.

"Return after the fighting is over." He rumbled, his eyes behind the mask staring me down.

I nodded slowly, "Yes. I will."

He seemed utterly satisfied with that as his purring stopped and he took a small step away, so that my hand wasn't touching him anymore. I found myself missing that warmth, that safe feeling he seemed to give me.

Fading before my eyes, only his hazy figure was visible. I took a moment and looked up at the sky, watching as the sun peeked over the treetops.

Sunrise.

And with sunrise comes the drums.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks again for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! Tell me what you think of this chapter! I might have had a little TOO MUCH fun writing it lol. Anywho!**

 **Enjoyxoxo**

 **Words: S'yuit-de (Coward; Pathetic), Zazin (completely centered; within oneself), ki its'pa (spear), Taun'dcha (firearm; gun), thei-de (death), kv'var (hunt).**

Love & War 6

 _3rd Person POV_

Screams. They came from everywhere. Every direction, everywhere he looked. The sun had risen to shine brightly on such a chilling view. Arrows mixed with spears and bullets in the sky, the air a foggy haze that blinded some to their own thei-de. The ground of the settler's clearing was soft, soaked in the blood of the slain. Bhu'ja stalked them, observing the fighting while staying hidden away in the shadows. Watching such bloodshed brought out a very primitive urge in him that he had been trying to keep under control.

For her sake.

An ooman male was sneaking around all the fighting, all the yelling, and the clashing of weapons. Bhu'ja kept his eyes on the male as he slipped by unnoticed to all but him.

"S'yuit-de." Bhu'ja hissed as he made his move toward him.

Bhu'ja needed to be zazin, his head cleared of everything but the hunt.

The male ran, his heavy pants echoing through the bright forest. Bhu'ja followed close behind, one of his throwing daggers poised in his hand as he silently leaped from tree to tree. When the male grew too close to the tribe's lands, Bhu'ja threw the knife with fatal aim.

Bhu'ja let out a wicked chuckle as he dropped from his tree branch. Making his way to the body, he placed a clawed foot on the dead ooman male's head and pulled the knife from his spinal cord. Trilling softly, Bhu'ja thought of making a trophy out of the skull, but decided against it quickly at the thought of why he had been chasing the ooman in the first place.

Stepping over the male, Bhu'ja climbed back up into the tree to sit silently and wait for another ooman to attempt to flee from battle. He got his chance when three more men split off from the rest and ran in the direction of the village. Bhu'ja jumped down and sprinted after them, readying his ki its'pa as he easily jumped over roots and foliage. Stretching his arm back, he threw his ki its'pa hard. The weapon found its mark, impaling two of the men at the same time and leaving them stuck to a tree. The third one paused to gawk in horror at his comrades as they choked on their own blood before a loud roar from Bhu'ja had him running once more.

Bhu'ja followed and took out another throwing knife, preparing to throw it in such a way that it'd cut clean through the retreating male's neck. But to Bhu'ja's utter shock and delight, the male stopped and turned to face him head on. With a loud shout and a few words that Bhu'ja knew not the meaning of, the male looked around expectantly with his weapons poised in the defense. Bhu'ja knew the ooman couldn't see where he was exactly, but still to stand and attempt to fight an unknown force-these pyode amedha continued to fascinate him.

'Not as much as she did though,' He thought with a curious purr as he faced the male.

Bhu'ja gripped his dagger tightly and stalked around the ooman, observing his smaller opponent and looking for a weak point. The male's left hand was the dominant one, Bhu'ja noticed, and he tended to step first with his right foot. Within the blink of an eye, Bhu'ja rushed the male and twisted his left hand behind his back and up until a satisfying crack sounded followed by a scream of pain. Bhu'ja then quickly kicked in the male's shin, which brought him to his knees, before he slammed the ooman to the ground. The male withered on the leaf covered earth as he attempted to stand. Bhu'ja roared harshly and stomped his foot down hard on the male's back, pushing the ooman's nose into the blood soaked dirt. He then reached down and grabbed the ooman's head in his large taloned paws before twisted his head and ripping it from the spine.

Bhu'ja grabbed the severed head by its thin wispy hair and held it up to grunt at it in victory. This skull he would keep, polish it and make it a suitable trophy.

He tied the severed head to his back and turned back to the battle that was still going on. The sun was high in the sky now and shining down almost harshly. Bhu'ja enjoyed the heat though, it reminded him of his home world; a world he hadn't visited in a long time. He stretched with a quick growl and shook out his hair, his eyes spotting another ooman male running quickly in the village's direction.

Bhu'ja felt his mandibles come together to form his species version of a smirk. He wished for a brief second that he had brought his Taun'dcha, which he had left on his ship miles away from here. He shrugged and took off at a sprint after the ooman.

Bhu'ja felt his mandibles come together to form his species' version of a smirk as he gained on the fleeing male. He wished for a brief second that he had brought his Taun'dcha, which he had left on his ship miles away from here. He shrugged and once more lifted a throwing dagger from its holster. Dispatching the male was fairly easy, much to Bhu'ja's disappointment. They could barely be called prey, begging and pleading as they do before thei-de claimed them.

Bhu'ja was pulling his throwing dagger out of the forehead of an ooman when a shout had him turning around quickly, distinct yelling could be heard from the far left.

The direction the village was in.

He didn't even think, he just ran. Climbing a tree and jumping from branch to branch, Bhu'ja came across a scene that he found all too curious.

One of the ooman males that she called "a settler" had a warrior male from the village cornered. His firearm pressed against the Warrior's chest. They were exchanging words but Bhu'ja could've cared less about that.

He promised her that he'd help, that he'd aid and assist. So that's exactly what he planned to do. Uncoiling a roll of thin wired rope he had attached to his hip, Bhu'ja tied the end into a loop that tightened when pulled on. He lowered the wired rope down, its length nearly invisible, and moved silently above the two. Once the loop was in position around the settler male's neck, Bhu'ja pulled hard and the male gagged as he was hoisted up into the air. Bhu'ja continued to pull until the male was before him, his eyes wide with pain and fear. Bhu'ja growled low as he swung a taloned hand at the man's face, effectively stripping the skin there into ribbons.

The male fell then to the jungle floor, dead, where the warrior male screamed from the sight before running back to his fellow fighting kin. His arms flying and his long braid swinging as he jumped and sprinted, eyes unbelieving and afraid.

Bhu'ja watched him as he ran, fighting the animal urge to chase him down and sink his talons into the ooman. They weren't the ones he could kill. They were the ones he was dutied with saving; helping. He snarled and climbed down from his perch, crouching low to the ground as he looked around. Bhu'ja waited silently for his next prey, the rush of the kv'var making his heartbeat thunder against his ribcage.

Bhu'ja lived for this, for killing, it was the reason why he had come to earth. Practice. To refine his skills.

But-she changed all of that.

 _Imara (POV)_

Enzo clung to me. His small hands were balled up in my skirt as he pressed his little face into my legs. I rubbed his short curly hair and whispered sweet nothings to him as he shivered against me. Lyza was sick with worry, her eyes red from all the crying she had done. I wiped my hands over her face, taking the tears away from her cheeks but not the look of anxiety from her eyes. She smiled at me but it didn't reach her eyes. Eyes that she shared with mother and I.

I kissed her forehead and picked up my nephew, handing him to her. Enzo's tears poured harder as his mother hugged him tightly to her, her eyes closed in a short period of calm.

I looked from them to my mother who was clenching her hands tightly in front of her stomach.

She was worried. We all were.

Henri's as much a brother to me as he is a husband to Lyza and a father to Enzo. He was our family.

I turned to walk out toward the village's fenced in walls. Two Warriors were posted there, guarding the elders, woman, and children that were left behind. Though we all knew how to fight, even the woman and young children, it just made everyone feel more secure. The guards had white war paint on their arms, legs, stomachs, faces; it was everywhere. It covered them, as it did the rest of the tribe's people. White bands were painted around my arms to match them, as well as a white line that traveled from my hairline down my nose to my chin, the painted line breaking only when I opened my mouth. I slid a finger down my painted legs and across to my small knife that I had fastened to my upper thigh, its grey stone handle cold as it pressed against my skin. As soon as I got back earlier that morning, the first thing I did was grab my hunting knife.

I didn't know why, but I felt as if I'd need it.

A loud yell sounded from the west as everyone from the village ran to the returning party of warriors. Their pre-white painted bodies now smeared in red. A rosy scarlet so deep in color, they looked like death amongst a sea of white striped bodies. Mothers, daughters, sons, parents, the warriors were surrounded by their loved ones.

Someone let out a cry of victory amongst the Warriors and everyone lifted their hands and sang out hymns of freedom and elation.

We had won the battle.

Shouting and Cheering made the ground vibrate, our feet pounding the earth in excitement. I lifted my arms with them, relishing in our triumph. Closing my eyes, I jumped and chanted and shouted with the rest of my tribe, my family.

When I spotted Lyza, I brought my arms back down and ran to her. Lyza had practically attached herself to her sole lover, her eyes closed tightly. Yet, Henri could only stare ahead, his eyes empty of all but shock. Lyza patted his cheek with her hand and rubbed his chest trying to get him to respond.

I frowned, narrowing my eyes on the two. Something was very wrong.

Enzo pulled on my skirt and I reached down to lift him up on my hip. We walked to his parents slowly, stopping to stand nearby. I held my nephew tight as he reaches out to gently pull Henri's braid. Henri's eyes moved till they settled on his son, only then did the shock leave their soulful depths. I handed Enzo to him and Henri kisses the boy's forehead before hugging Lyza to him.

"Are you well now brother?" I asked softly, my dark honey eyes searching his face.

Henri looked to me as his brows came together,

"I saw something. Something...impossible." Henri muttered, his handsome face a mask of disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Lyza asked then, pulling away from his embrace to stare up at him.

"I was cornered. I-I was cornered by one of the settlers and he had his gun pressed to my chest. He talked much of how ignorant we were to the ways of the new world. How we had been left behind." Henri fumed. "Then, he was gone. Pulled up into the trees. I-I have n-never heard such s-screams. Then his body dropped from the treetops, his f-face completely gone."

"W-what?" I asked, Bhu'ja instantly coming to mind.

Lyza gasped and covered her mouth as she looked at Henri in fear. "An animal maybe?" She asked.

"Not an animal. It is smarter than an animal. But-But...it didn't kill me. No. It saved me. It-it saved me. Ugh! Look! I know this may sound crazy but it is true! There is something living in that jungle, Lyza! A spirit or-" Henri paused, his eyes starting to glaze over from the torrid memory.

"A ghost." I finished for him as I felt my heart start to hum in my chest.

He had saved my brother? Saved his life? I couldn't help the small smile that found its way onto my face as I looked at Henri.

Lyza brought his face to hers and kissed him softly. "Come back to me." She whispered to him, his blank eyes slowly coming back to focus.

He nodded slowly and pulled Enzo closer to his body. He looked at Lyza and I then at his son and gave a small smile, the past for now forgotten. Enzo wrapped his arms around Henri's neck and buried his little face there in the curve of his shoulder. Visual relief flowing over his little body.

I backed away from them slowly, my feet seemed to have a mind of their own. I turned to run into the jungle, my body practically flying. The sun was shining brightly, but it would be setting soon.

I had to find him. Had to thank him.

"Bhu'ja!" I shouted, not caring if I was too loud.

I twisted and turned, looking up into the treetops in search of a hazy figure. I was about to climb up a nearby tree, when the whooshing of air caught my attention. I felt it on my back so I turned around slowly, holding my breath as I did.

And there he was.

I could actually see him, and what a sight he presented. I had never seen so much blood. He was covered in it, even more than the Warriors were. I gasped and took a step toward him. His chest was rising and falling slowly, his eyes trained on my every move. He didn't look hurt though. His blood was a strange color I remembered, like that of only the most tropical of flowers. No. This wasn't his blood.

I bit my lip as I took another cautious step toward him. His hiss of warning though, when I went to take another step, had me pausing in my advance. He then trilled deeply as he watched me. We weren't too far from one another now. I stiffened my spine and shrugged off any fear that had frozen me before. I reached out slowly and placed my palm against his chest, his heart beating hard against my hand.

"Bhu'ja, Thank you. My family, my people- even I am alive because of you. Thank you." I whispered as I stated up at him, my heart heavy with emotion.

I slid my hand down his chest to his narrow hips before reaching for his taloned hand, grasping it firmly in my own. The blood there completely covered my hand, but I fought to ignore that.

"Come." I said, my voice unwavering.

Pulling him after me then, I led him deeper into the jungle. Away from what was left of the settler's camp, away from the village, away from well-everyone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! This chapter is a bit long but that isn't exactly a bad thing c; Tell me what you think! thank you again for any reviews, favorites, and follows! Feedback is great!**

 **Words: Cetanu (God of Death; The Black Hunter), Yautja (The species' name), kv'var (The Hunt), A'ket'anu (Beautiful), Oomans (Humans)**

Love & War 7  
 _Imara POV_

I felt warm. My whole body, just glowed; I felt so very warm. We had walked for some time, my bare feet growing numb, but I continued on. He was behind me, my smaller hand clasped tightly in his much larger one. At first he tried to untangle his hand from mine, the very idea of holding hands seemed foreign to him. But I held tight. Refusing to release him.  
After a bit of grumbling and low clicks, he gave up and let me lead.

I climbed over a fallen branch and only let go of his hand to start the journey of lifting myself up a steep mound of rocks. The grey stones stacked on one another, towering high. I looked back to him, his mask tilted up as he stared at me from on the ground.

"Follow me! We are close." I called down.

Turning back, I continued to climb. I had only been here once before. The climb itself had nearly killed me the first time. The rocks were sharp and the drop deadlier still. But, once I had reached the top, I felt as if for once I knew what paradise truly looked like.

Keeping that image in my head, I trudged on. I could hear the sound of Bhu'ja climbing behind me, his talons clawing to grasp each stone's edge. His breathing was even though, relaying nothing, as if the climb was nothing to him.

I tensed my body when we both came to a spot where we had to jump from one edge to the other. The opposite edge was slightly higher than where we were, making it a risky task to achieve. I swallowed and steadied my breathing, casting a quick glance down at Bhu'ja. He was watching me, though I couldn't make out his thoughts from the mask's emotionless face. I looked back up at the other edge, the edge I needed to be on. I stiffened my spine and held my breath, pushing off from where I was to fly across to the other side. I slid a bit on impact but I grabbed on tightly, effectively catching myself. Small rocks tumbled and knocked against larger rocks on their way down. I was panting a bit but I smiled proudly as I looked down at Bhu'ja, quirking my brow at him.

He tilted his head as he watched me before steadying himself and jumping. He landed hard but didn't slid, his talons holding on as they sank deep into the rock. He trilled and I shook my head with a small laugh as I continued our ascent. A few more jumps and sharp corners later, we had reached the top. I lifted my leg and hoisted myself up onto the cliff's top, the view before me stealing my breath.

Bhu'ja hoisted himself up as well and stared out around us.

Directly in front of us was a grand waterfall. The water was from one of the biggest rivers in this part of the jungle. It all emptied out into this valley where the water was pulled underground by a gentle current and emptied out a ways away. The green of the earth and trees surrounded us, the blue of the water only intensifying it. I turned to Bhu'ja and gave him a small smile,

"Do you like it? I thought you would like to bathe, clean yourself." I said softly.

He nodded and tilted his head as he stared at me.  
"It pleases me." He uttered in his rough voice.

I smiled widely and nodded back, "Good."

I walked toward the cliff's edge, looking down into the deepest of blues. The water directly below us had the depth needed if one were to jump. I found that out the hard way, however, seeing as I fell in the first time. I felt my cheeks grow hot with my blush at the embarrassing memory.  
Bhu'ja purred then and lifted a bloodied hand to my cheek, rubbing the skin as if he could see its warmth.

I bit my lip and allowed myself to relax under his gentle caress, the purring lulling me into a state of calm.

"Can you swim?" I asked as I looked up at him.

His towering form never scared me, though I could tell it was meant to. His dread-like hair flew every direction as he nodded his large head with a grunt.

"Let us swim then." I replied as I took a step away from him.

Bringing my hands to my hips, I untied the skirt to reveal a small loincloth that I used most when Enzo and I went swimming. The white paint, I noticed, was still on my arms, legs, and face as well. I scratched at the swirling designs as I slowly looked up when I felt eyes on my upper thigh. Bhu'ja looked from my small stone handled dagger to my face, his rampant clicking giving away a slightly amused tone.

"It is to protect me." I replied to his unspoken question.

"Protect you from what?" He countered, his voice definitely amused.

I could practically feel the smirk.

"Everything." I said as I turned from him.

I took a few steps away from the edge and looked at him,  
"See you down there."

Then I ran and launched myself from the cliff's peak. Bhu'ja's loud roar was the last thing I heard as I made my rampant descent. The stomach dropping, blood pumping, eye watering feeling of falling was glorious. I put my hand together and straightened my body so I would hit the water just right. The second time was definitely better than the first. I felt the cold rush of the water as I break into its depths. I held my breath and opened my eyes, a whole world of life swimming around me. I swam back to the surface then, gasping for air as I broke through to my own world.

Bhu'ja was crouched down, staring at me from up high. I laughed and waved up at him, his unrelenting stare my only reply.

"Jump, Bhu'ja! Come on!" I shouted.

He shook his head and continued to stare me down.

"Are you afraid?" I asked with a raised brow as I kicked my legs under me to keep me afloat.

Bhu'ja hissed and grunted with a mighty shake of his head, the very idea of fear an outrageous offense.

"Then jump!" I shouted back.

Bhu'ja seemed to consider it carefully before taking off his wrist bracelets and his shiny armor. He kept his netting on though along with his mask. I felt kind of disappointed though when I saw he intended to leave it in place. I shook that feeling out of my head as he prepared to jump.

I watched as he took a few steps back before rushing the cliff's peak and jumping just as I had. He straightened his body out, his hands coming together, and a huge splash sounds as he hits the water. I smiled when he slowly eased up from the water and shook out his dread-like hair. His muscled arms stroked through the water with ease as he approached me slowly.

Once he was close enough, I cupped water in my hands and let it go to glide down his chest, taking the blood and filth with it. The gentle current under us cleared the water, quickly returning it to its former crystal blue.

"So, what are you exactly?" I asked softly.

He watched me and let out a soft trilling sound,  
"Yautja." He said simply.

I nodded and lifted more handfuls of water to wash him off.

"What is it like, where you are from?" I decided to ask next.

He was quiet for a few seconds before he replied,  
"Hot. Very hot. I am actually from a tribe similar to yours, though we call our tribes clans. We live for the kv'var, are born to it in fact. From a young age we are trained to kill. It is just our way of life."

I stared up at him before lowering my eyes and nodding my head slowly. I understood that. How dangerous life was, that knowing how to kill was an essential key to everyday living. You had to strike, and strike fast.

Or you would fall underfoot.

"What about your people?" I asked.

Bhu'ja tilted his head as he looked at me,  
"They are a fierce people. Deadly. But they care for each other, protect each other as a family would." He muttered.

"Hmm." I hummed, his words floating around in my head.

Though the thin netting got in my way a bit, I still took another handful of water and let it pour over him. I bit my lip then, placing my hand gently against his chest, I rubbed until all traces of the war had vanished from there. I never quite noticed it before, but his coloring really was beautiful. His shoulders were a dark green shade that melted into deep brown with small traces of a rust like red. The middle of his chest was a light brown color, like that of sand. There were spots around the tops of his shoulders that reminded me of a leopard or some other jungle cat. I never would have known before, what with the armor being in the way. All in all, he was quite an enticing creature.

"Why did you not bring your pup? Is someone else taking care of him?" He asked with a rough trill.

I felt my eyebrows rise as I stopped my hands from their task.

"Pup?" I asked.

"Yes. I saw him with you, on your back." Bhu'ja explained, his head tilted in question.

I thought for a second before the answer came to me. He must have meant Enzo!

"Enzo? Oh no, no! He is my nephew. My sister's pup. Not mine." I rushed out with a quick shake of my head.

I couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped me, as I looked at Bhu'ja who nodded slowly.

"Do you have pups?" I asked, my curiosity high.

He nodded once, "I have a son." He said with pride.

I smiled and continued washing him off, stopping briefly only to swim around him so I could reach his broad back.

"Do you have pups?" He asked with a soft purr.

I looked at the back of his head in shock before blinking it away quickly. I lifted my hands to move his long hair over one shoulder, the thick strands gliding easily through my fingers.

"No." I uttered with a sigh.

"Really? You are old enough to mate. And I know you are healthy and active enough to birth strong young." He grunted as he lifted his wrist from the water to admire the scar just across the top of his thumb; the one I had given him.

I laughed out right at that, seeing as he was perfectly true in his assumption. I was beyond old enough, having seen my 19th summer and coming up on my 20th, the women my age would be caring for two or three pups by now. Even Lyza had wanted another pup, but had never gotten around to it after taking on the responsibility of being a spy of sorts for our village. That didn't stop her though from hounding me. Finding the right man and settling down were things my sister and mother had tried to nail into my head.

But I could never see that for myself.

"Are the males not pleasing to you?" He asked, turning his head to the side, toward me.

I sighed softly as I let the handful of water flow through my fingers and down his back, taking note of the few spots that went along his back in a lazy trail. His back was the same dark green, dark brown and rust red mix as his chest I noticed.

I looked at the side of his face, some of his rough pebbled skin showing along the edges of the mask.

"No, they were not." I replied.

He seemed to think on that before purring loudly, the deep sound traveling from my hand were it laid against his back to my shoulder then to my mind, numbing it in the best way.

"Not good enough fighters." He said with a rough crackling sound, I think it was his species' version of a laugh.

I raised a slightly confused eyebrow,  
"What does fighting have to do with choosing a man to settle down with." I asked with a chuckle.

Once his back was clean enough, I swam back around to face him.

"It has everything to do with it. On my home planet, if you are not an honorable warrior, you have no mating rights to females. Must be the best fighter, best fighters gain many females." He replied casually.

I let his words bounce around in my head as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"But you are a good fighter. And yet, you only have one son." I countered, very perplexed.

Bhu'ja trilled for a second before replying,  
"I have only one son because I chose not to return for my home's mating cycle each year. After I became an honorable warrior, I only wanted to hunt. Perfect my skills. But I still needed someone to continue on my line if I met Cetanu earlier than expected."

"So you had a son to succeed you." I finished for him.

Bhu'ja nodded and watched me, his deep purring never letting up.

I watched him back, my eyes tracing every line on his mask, noting the intricate symbol on his mask's forehead. A bit of blood still stained its surface and I came a bit closer to him. Lifting my hands, I rubbed the blood away with my thumb.

"Why do not take off your mask? I want to see your face." I blurted out, my cheeks once again heating with my blush.

He stopped purring and tilted his head, his hand reaching up to stroke gently across the heated skin, before dropping back into the water.  
"You will be scared." He stated plainly, if not a bit solemnly.

"You-you saved my family. My brother. Me. You saved all of us! I could never be afraid of you, Bhu'ja." I said with a determined edge to my voice.

When he started to shake his head, I put both my hands on either sides of his head, stilling any movement. "I mean it. Never." I said sternly, staring him down with deep honey eyes.

He slowly lifted his own hands up and over my own, pulling them down and off his mask. I was about to protest when he started to unhook his mask, a loud hissing sound filling my ears. He took it off slowly and I couldn't stop my gasp.

He was different.

I first noticed his eyes. So striking and soulful, they invaded your deepest thoughts. They were a vibrant gold color, rich and bold. I reached my hand out and placed it against his face, beside what looked like a pair of mandibles. He started his purring, but now that the mask had been removed, the sound was even more lulling.

All I could do was stare.

A pair of tusks made up his lower jaw, and they spread out revealing an open maul with sharp teeth inside. I traced a finger over each mandible and tusk until I had reached his forehead. The same symbol that was on his mask had been etched there into his flesh.

"Is this your tribe's symbol?" I asked in a soft voice.

He nodded, his expressive eyes searching my face. I nodded and finished tracing the great crest of his forehead. It reminded me greatly of a crown, his hair starting where his crown ends.

"You do not scare me." I stated, a small smile curling my lips.

His mandibles all clicked together as he nodded his head.

"We should get out of the water. My legs are growing tired from all the kicking." I suggested as I started to swim toward the small shore.

Bhu'ja was behind me, I could tell, and I couldn't stop the jittery feeling in my stomach.

When we reached the shore, I stood up and twisted my wet braided hair out, watching as water came rushing to the ground. I turned around to see Bhu'ja with his head tilted and his mandibles still folded in together. His gold eyes traveled up my body and I stopped on my hair, each individual bead catching his eye.

"A'ket'anu." He said as he took a step toward me.

I watched his slow advance, as he too watched me, until he wasn't but a breath from me. He reached up with a clawed hand and caressed my cheek gently, careful not to press too harshly against my softer skin. His eyes connected with mine and I smiled as I placed my hand against his chest.

I wasn't all too sure about the meaning of the word he had said but I felt as if it were a compliment.

The sun was setting now, the sky a mixture of pinks, blues, purples, and oranges. I didn't want to leave, though it was growing late and I would be missed. The sounds of birds calling and the waterfall rushing into the makeshift lake, all pulling me from my decision to go.

To my disappointment, Bhu'ja had after a while put his mask back on, the metal surface of it glinting as remnants of the sun hit it.

"So you cannot speak my language without this mask?" I asked, after he had attempted to explain why he always wore it.

"Yes. Your language is easier to pronounce than others, but you oomans make certain noises I do not have the ability to repeat." He replied with a shrug of his wide shoulders.

We were sitting on the cliff's peak once more, and I couldn't help but dread the trek back down that steep face. Shaking the unpleasant thought from my head, I glanced over to Bhu'ja who was staring up at the blended sky.

"But you can understand me without the mask?" I asked as I scooted closer to him.

He trilled as he leaned back on his hands. And since I had seen his face, I had at least some notion of what expression he must be making. Bhu'ja tilted his head as stared down at me through the mask.  
"Yes." He replied softly, though his rough voice gave it more if a rumbling edge.

"How?" I asked as turned to him and rubbed my thumb over his shoulder armor.

"After meeting you, I set up a program in the translator of my mask to assist me in learning your language." He stated quickly.

"So...you learned Swahili? My dialect of Swahili? All so that you could understand me?" I finished with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." He replied simply.

I bit my lip and against my better judgement I raised up on my knees before him, looking at his mask as I gathered my courage. Then holding my breath, I leaned forward and kissed him.

Well, his mask. I kissed his mask.

The cold metal felt weird against my lips and I frowned when I pulled away. I could feel the shock he must have been in as he sat there frozen.

Gathering even more courage, I moved so that I was straddling his legs and I reached up to his mask, unplugging it so I could remove it. Bhu'ja didn't stop me, he simply sat there- watching me. When I lifted his mask off, I blushed when I found his eyes staring directly at me. His mandibles where spread slightly as he trilled at me. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his forehead, directly over his clan's symbol. The kiss was quick and in my head innocent, but the way he was looking at me was anything but.

The look reminded me of how Henri looked at Lyza after he returned every hunting trip. A burning, intense look that shook me to my core. I wasn't use to the feeling it was giving me, but I wasn't exactly afraid either. It was different.

Like him.

Bhu'ja sat us both up and brought his taloned hands to rest against my hips, his grip gentle but tight; possessive.

"That was a kiss." I replied to his questioning purr.

Bhu'ja nodded slowly and leaned his own head down to nuzzle against my neck, his mandibles tracing small patterns against the curve of my shoulder.

"Kiss." He repeated, though it came out sounding more like a hiss.

I confirmed it with a nod and bit my lip when one of his hands slid up my side, over my rib cage and waist to settle directly under my breasts. I gasped when his other hand came up to join its partner and he pulled me tight to his body, his rough skin making my softer skin tingle. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself back against him, our chest now meshed together and our hearts beating as one.

We were so close, it was amazing.

I pressed small kisses to his jaw and up the side of his face, careful of the small spikes that mimicked facial hair. Bhu'ja purred deeply, holding me against him and breathing in my scent. I felt surrounded by everything he was, his strength, his honor, his deadly existence all enclosed me.

The moon was out and shining down on us. Its glimmering presence reflected brilliantly off of the water as it rushed and moved, never stilling. I pulled back from him and smiled when he purred, his eyes pulling me in.

"I have to leave. It is nighttime, and I will be missed." I said softly, kissing his chest and lifting myself from his lap.

Bhu'ja nodded and stood up along with me, a low growl easing from him as he watched me tie my skirt back around my hips. The longing look in his gold eyes made my cheeks grow hot with what had to be the fourth blush today. I quickly looked away shyly before starting the climb down. I barely noticed the trek, my mind still replaying the last few moments we had shared together. I had never been so close to anyone, never let anyone get that close to me. Though we didn't go all the way, I knew it was a start to something marvelous.

When we reached the ground, I turned to Bhu'ja who had just jumped down. He had his mask back on and was watching me. Before I could say anything, he responded first.

"I have to leave," He said, his tone all too serious.

I looked up at him and frowned, somehow I could tell that my leaving, and his leaving had different meanings to them.

"Leaving? B-But, well...I mean...W-Will you be back?" I asked, swallowing the sadness in my voice.

"I don't know." He replied.

Bhu'ja then looked down at his waist, with its many gadgets, and pulled a small metal looking thing from it. He pressed a few symbols on the thing and I watched as a small red button rose from inside the gadget.

"Press this if you need me. It has a GPS tracker that will tell me exactly where you are." He muttered as he handed it to me.

I turned the gadget around in my hands, fascinated with it, but when I looked back up- I was alone. I could barely make out a hazy figure, its presence towering over me.

"I will miss you." I whispered, looked up at him.

"As I will miss you. Be safe, Imara. Don't lose the tracker." He growled out, and then he was gone for real. The leaves rustling softly as he climbed up and away from my view.

I held the metal tracker to my chest as I walked back to the village, my feet dragging as I went. As I grew closer, and I left my own thoughts, I noticed that the village was intensely quiet.

Smoke. Black smoke.

I crouched down low and snuck around the fenced walls of the village until I heard a scream. Then another scream, and another. I watched as settler's lined up, one by the other, and held their guns up. I followed the direction their eyes were narrowed in on and saw a group of shaking tribe's people huddled together against the blood covered back of a hut.

Amongst them was Lyza and Enzo.

I didn't even hesitate. I couldn't afford to. I quickly pushed the red button of the tracker before tucking it against my hip and pulling my knife from its holster.

'I knew I would end up using it,' I thought with a treacherous grin as I rushed the firing squad from behind.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Another chapter for your reading pleasure! Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Don't forget to tell me what you think of the chapter!**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

Love & War 8  
 _Imara POV_

I had never seen a man bleed as freely as the one under me did, my knife sinking deeper into his throat with every struggle. After a bit more measured pressure, I felt the settler go still as death took him.

As I started to stand up, I instantly stilled my movements when I heard a gun cock as the cold end of it pressed against my back. Turning around swiftly, I grabbed the man's hand, which was floating over the trigger, and pushed up hard.

The gun lifted to the sky and fired, missing its mark.

I snarled as I drove my foot sideways into the settler's stomach, tightening my grip on the loaded weapon as the man relaxed his grasp. The settler tumbled back into the scarlet stained mud and I quickly mimicked the firing squad and aimed the gun, firing off two shots into the man's head and chest.

Another member of the firing squad rushed me then but before he could get close, Henri tackled the settler to the ground. Their struggle was a short one though seeing as Henri had his small battle ax and was quick to plunge the hungry thing into the settler's chest.

By this point, the village gave a sigh of relief as the silence was broken and the tribe as a people came alive once more with a burning, a yearning, to stay alive. They fought; we fought. It was a last stand for all of us.

We didn't have a choice, so we pressed on.

"Here!" Henri said as he tossed a pair of silver keys into my hands. "Free the other warriors! They are locked up in a hut near the back of the village. Hurry! Go, now!"

I gave a sole nod as I caught the keys and ran toward the back of our village. The area was quiet, the distant soft stomping of the settler's boots the only noise in the air. There were definitely more of them, the settlers, guarding a large hut like temple that we used for village meetings and ceremonial events. The grand entrance to our holiest of temples was bolted shut, the flowers and greenery that normally decorated the outside of it had been torn away and burned. I could feel my anger boiling, reaching new heights, and I gritted my teeth as I prepared to strike the first blow against the guards. I quickly slipped the keys beside the tracker against my hip, my skirt helping to hold them in place.

I let out a loud snarl then as I advanced on one of the men. I twisted around, balancing myself on one leg as my other leg lifted to hook onto the settler's throat, pulling him down quickly with me seated on his neck. I tightened my grip on my knife before dealing deep blows to his chest, his nails pawing at my leg as it cut off his breathing. I stood up swiftly then to turn and deal an uppercut to another settler, his teeth colliding together as I made impact with his chin. My fisted hand swung with just enough force to make him lose his footing, his world no doubt spinning out of control around him.

Now, he knew how we felt.

He spat out blood as he lifted himself up, shouting words of anger and fury to his fellow guards that I had no way of understanding.

I felt the metal keys bite into the flesh at my hip, reminding me of the warriors I had to free. No more fooling around.

I spread my feet in the mud and centered myself, shifting the keys so that they wouldn't hinder me in my fight. The settler faced me, a smirk spreading across his face as he looked at me and took a step in my direction. I hissed in reply and struck quickly, like the jungle snakes do when hunting. My hit landed against his rib cage, the hard impact of it breaking a few ribs. He doubled over and cried out in pain, clutching his stomach as he looked up at me with furious watery eyes. The settler panted a bit before he righted himself and charged at me, I easily sidestepped him and as he passed me I dealt a deadly hit to the back of his neck.

He dropped quickly after that-dead.

I stepped over his body and looked around me, searching for the others. But, they had gone. Where I knew not, only that they were sure to be back. I narrowed my eyes suspiously as I tensed my body and slowly walked up to the temple's blocked entrance.

The temple always had doors that opened wide with a flowing aura of welcoming ease, it was impossible not to be pulled in. It was were our elders stayed most of the time, though they did have their own huts. I pulled at the big pieces of nailed wood that blocked my way and kept them trapped inside. I ground my teeth together as I felt my muscles strain painfully from all the hard pulling-yet it refused to move. I took out my knife next and wedged it under a nail, pulling up hard in hopes of dislodging it. But, the blade broke off and I felt like I was slowly drowning in my own desperation. I cursed loudly and kicked the door,

"You will open! You will! Y-you will!" I screamed at it, my heart aching with bitter guilt. I sank to my knees then, my balled fist barely hitting the door as I stared emptily at each nail.

I hadn't been there. I was gone. I was gone with Bhu'ja when they were attacked. There was no telling how many of my people had died before I came. If I had just stayed, or not have taken such a long time to return. My mother, I had no idea where she was and I couldn't help but fear the worst as I wiped angry tears from my eyes. And now I feared I had failed my people once again. Then, out of nowhere, there was a flash and I slowly brought my deep honey eyes back up, where I saw three small red dots appear against the wood. Tilting my head, I touched the dots curiously as they flittered across the surface of the blocked entry way.

I turned my head to follow the path of their origin and a smile slowly spread across my face.

"Move." Growled the hazy figure as it towered over me.

I nodded quickly as I rushed to his side and watched as a small bright light came out of nowhere and flew from its place on his shoulder to collide with the temple's entry way. I gasped and turned from it, covering my face as pieces of wood and nail flew at us. They never had a chance to make contact though, seeing as Bhu'ja had shielded me from the bulk of the small explosion. His body was hovering over my back, his arms wrapping around me protectively. I felt him release me then and I turned to see a small hole had been made, not enough to cause damage to our temple but enough for the warriors to be able to get out. I climbed through and rushed to them, quick to start unlocking their shackles with the keys. They had been beaten, their faces in even worse shape since the battle earlier this morning.

It was all too much, this constant fighting. I was greatly surprised that they hadn't given into their injures by now.

As the tribe's warriors one by one climbed out of the small hole Bhu'ja had made, they all looked back at the singed wood with looks of awe and fear.

"Who did this? Made this hole? I know it was not you." Said one of leaders of the warriors, Akachi was his name, as he traced the burned edge of the wooden plank. He then looked at me and I simply shrugged before walking away back toward where I had left Henri.

"Come! Henri is here, he will direct you." I called to them, pausing to peer at them over my shoulder.

As I turned back around, I found my eyes seemed to naturally go to seek Bhu'ja out among the trees and foliage. I thought I saw him, leaping soundlessly from tree to tree, following us from above.

The warriors were quickly submerged in more fighting, dodging bullets and fists as they fought tooth and nail for their lives and our joined freedom. I saw Bhu'ja, though he still was not but a hazy figure up in the treetops. Observing, calculating, and striking at just the right time. Bodies were beginning to pile up around his tree as he let yet another naïve one drop down- his chest an open cavity of the purest red.

"Quickly! They are going! Do not rest though-stand your ground! Let them know who we are!" Akachi shouted as he went running toward the village gates.

The warriors all trotted after Akachi, forming a line in front of the village. They hooted and thumped their spears on the ground as loudly as they could. The settler's practically tripped over themselves as they ran into the jungle, where more screams of pain and terror followed them. My people were quick to burn the weapons of the settlers that they left behind in their flight as well as any bodies that remained in the village. Lyza and Enzo, along with my mother all came out to hoot and howl and stomp their feet along with the warriors.

I ran to them and hugged them to me, kissing each of them on the forehead. Enzo smiled up at me with tear streaked cheeks, his arms wrapped around my waist. I stroked his soft curls and smiled back, smiling even harder when I felt my mother kiss my cheek. I felt so relieved, and yet the feeling was fleeting. I let them go and stood at a distance, watching them and smiling, though I couldn't shake the heavy feeling in my heart.

Like this was only the beginning.

Amongst all the loud noises, a loud roar filled the air, one that I recognized all too well. The sound seemed to shake everyone, even the birds and insects and other animals settled into a quiet hush. At first the tribe stilled their hooting and stomping, their eyes searching the jungle with slight uncertainty. I looked around as well, searching for the hazy figure that had once again proven to me that he would be there for me; for us.

Henri called out with an even louder howl, shaking his spear in the air and soon the village was alight with overzealous excitement, their hoots drifting up into the evening air. They didn't understand Bhu'ja, or the full extent of what he'd done for them, but they knew enough. They understood enough.

"He is a spirit of the jungle! A ghost! One that consumes all who mess with the natural order! He is our protector, our shield against our enemies!" People were saying, their words blending in with one another in their eagerness.

"He freed us!" Akachi shouted, his own spear raised in the air. The other warriors were quick to raise their own weapons with hoots of agreement.

"He is our guardian!" Henri shouted. Akachi nodded, and my people all cheered and agreed full heartedly.

I wanted to laugh at the notion, but I felt all too sobered. After all, they were right in a way. He saved us. Again.

I looked up at the treetops but couldn't see him, my eyes never the less searching aimlessly for any hint of his existence.

"Come." A rough voice said, the towering presence against my back all too alluring.

"I cannot. My family, I cannot leave them again. The settler's may come back, I-I can't leave now." I replied as I turned to him, looking up into the hazy outline of his mask.

Bhu'ja lifted his hand to trace something on my cheek, the sharp end of his talon gliding gently across my skin.

"I have something for you." He purred deeply.

"What?" I asked softly.

"Come." He repeated, his hand sliding down my cheek, to my neck and my shoulder before finding its way down my arm and to my hand. I bit my lip as he grasped my hand gently in his, and started to pull me.

"Come." He said again, "They will be safe. I will protect them."

I took one more look at my people as they laughed and hugged each other, their eyes shining with relief and happiness.

The kind of look that came with knowing you weren't in something alone.

"We won't go far. Come." Bhu'ja reassured me with a smooth purr and I felt my restraint melting around me. With a nod, I let him pull me away; my hand drowning in his grasp.

As we walked toward the village's fences and Bhu'ja easily jumped over, I spared one more glance over my shoulder at the village before looking forward to Bhu'ja, who was waiting for me.

And, I knew then. I knew that they would be safe, they would be ok. Because they had their guardian to watch over them. And I had my ghost.

Then, I jumped too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry about the wait, it is finals week so it has been CRAZY. Here's another chapter for your reading pleasure! Thank you so much for all the Reviews, follows, and favorites! Don't forget to tell me what you think of the chapter! My reviewers are the sweetest! It makes me want to keep writing, so THANK YOU!**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

 **Words: thei-de (Death)**

Love & War 9

 _Imara POV_

The night sky flickered above us brilliantly as we walked. The distant lights from the village glowed against our backs, the silence between us soft and easy. True to his word, we soon stopped in a small clearing. From what I could tell, we were alone but that was only an illusion. Bhu'ja flipped his wrist bracelet open and clicked a few different symbols on it, the clearing giving a soft hum as a giant metal beast come out of the air.

I gasped, holding my hands over my mouth as a gentle breeze came from it. I stepped toward it curiously with my hand held out, my breathe caught in my throat.

"What is it?" I asked in a small voice, my hand coming into contact with its smooth metal surface.

"My ship." Bhu'ja replied, his voice a rough rumbling sound.

I frowned slowly as I stared at the metal beast that seemed to hover above the ground, the grass under it waving in the soft current of air. A ship? I could feel myself blush at my own ignorance.

"What is a ship?' I asked, looking up at him and trying to halt the twinge of shame that continued to warm my cheeks.

"A machine that flies. I use it to travel." He purred deeply, one of his taloned hands coming up to stroke across my cheek.

I wondered for a second about weither he could see my blush or not, given how dark my skin was it would prove close to impossible to really tell. Or so I thought.

"It can take you to different places?" I decided to ask instead, his hand still tracing symbols on my cheek.

"Yes. And, even to different worlds." He said as he dropped his hand to click another symbol on his wrist bracelet. A popping hiss surrounded us and then a bright light slowly appeared, growing bigger as the hissing sound continued. I watched with wide eyes, feeling so much like a child seeing the world for the first time.

The metal beast, or uhm ship, opened up. The soft light coming from it was practically beckoning us to it. Bhu'ja walked up to it first, his movements graceful as always and I felt my heart give a small kick.

"Come." He purred as he stood inside his ship, his presence a hulking shadow in the entry way. I bit my lip as I nodded and slowly walked to him, smiling vaguely at how cool the metal felt against my bare feet given how hot and sticky the jungle air tended to be.

Once I was fully inside, Bhu'ja clicked the same symbol on his wrist bracelet and the door slowly closed us in.

I looked around curiously, everything was so shiny and advanced looking, like he was. Bhu'ja strutted down a hallway, coming up on a large room with windows and lots of beeping sounds, small blinking lights from a table that was centered in the middle of the room instantly caught my eye. The table was covered in the same symbols that he had in his wrist bracelet. I looked up then and couldn't help myself, I walked to the large window and peered out into the night.

My home.

We were still in the jungle-yes technically- but to me, we were in a whole new world. One I didn't quite understand. I froze for a second before I smiled, a certain pair of eyes burning over my body in a very predator-like way. They traveled from my bare feet to my ankles, probably taking notice of the bracelets there that were bound around each ankle and made from small bones and gems I had found while out. They then traveled up my legs, taking time to visually caress my hips and waist before going up my back and looking at each and every hand crafted bead in my hair, the thick braids coming together to form a larger braid that hung down my back. I slowly turned to face him, only to see him lounging in a large chair that was seated in front of the table. His long powerful legs were stretched out in front of him and one of his arms was slung over the arm rest while the other was curled up making a rest area for his strong chin to lie, his head tilted to the side as he watched me through his mask. I felt my face growing hot as I crossed my arms over my chest and watched him back, our eyes no doubt connecting under his mask.

"Are you ready to see your gift now?" He asked, his voice a dark purr.

I nodded and watched as he lifted from his chair to walk down a hallway off to the side of the large room. I followed close by, the lights from the large room going out as our presence there disappeared. Down the hall were four doors, each leading to four different rooms, I assumed. He pressed his large hand to the front of one of the doors and the door slide up, opening to us. He walked in and the lights came on.

I had never seen so many skulls in my life. The presence of death occupied the room.

The skulls were everywhere, on every wall, every shelf-just everywhere. I bit my lip as I walked in after him and the door slid shut behind me. Each skull was incredibly white I noticed, not the yellowish pink color they tended to be when I found them along the jungle floor or hunted it down and cleaned it myself. I stroked one of my own carved bone beads as I walked around the room, taking notice of each skull and its own unique shape.

"On my planet," Bhu'ja started, his presence a shadow against one of the walls of the small room. "We collect a trophy from every honorable kill we make. It is our way. We also will gift one to a female, to express interest and show might or strength."

I nodded as I looked at one with a multitude of sharp teeth, what looked like eye sockets were now empty pits that stared off into the distance. It didn't look like any animal I had ever seen, its head alone was the size of my torso.

"So, you have collected all of these? To give as gifts?" I asked as I turned to him.

"Yes. Some of them." He replied simply.

"You are very skilled with cleaning them. I try to get them as white as I can but it is nearly impossible. Very frustrating." I grumbled enviously, staring at one skull that still had its spinal column attacked to it.

"You seem to be doing very well." Bhu'ja commented with a light trill as he moved away from his wall, the vague but gentle pressure of his hand picking up a braid that was decorated with small off white bones that I had drilled small holes into could be felt.

"Thank you." I beamed, as I looked up at him.

Bhu'ja gave me a sole nod before turning around and facing the vast wall of skulls. He reached up and grabbed one from the wall, but I missed which one. Frowning, I watched as he turned back around with a skull clutched in his large taloned hands.

It was human.

I had noticed a few other human skulls on the walls and shelves but with this one so close to me, I couldn't stop staring. It was incredibly white, as if he worked extremely hard to clean it and prepare it.

"For you." He said with a deep purr, thrusting the skull towards me.

I stood there frozen, looking from the skull to his emotionless mask, then back again.

"Me?" I asked in mild shock.

Had he not just said that it was custom to gift skulls to females to show their interest? Their interest in what though, was my question. I brushed the query from my mind and looked up at Bhu'ja who was watching me closely-waiting.

I slowly reached up and clutched the skull in my small hands, the contrast between its smooth pearl surface and my dark skin was breathtaking. I pressed it carefully to my chest with a small smile before lifting it up to glint brilliantly in the soft light of the room. It really was a beautiful gift.

Life was considered a gift, so why couldn't death.

I looked up at him inquisitively, my mind still rushing with questions. "The male died honorably. He faced me and fought me. He battled until thei-de took him." Bhu'ja said as he looked down at me.

I opened my mouth to comment but couldn't think of what to say to that, so I settled for a nod. 'He must have meant the first battle,' I realized silently, as I felt my heart give another small kick. He was waiting, for what I was not sure, but I knew what my heart was trying to say. I had to make the next move, but I wasn't sure what that move would be. I settled for trying to get closer to him, our current distance was not ideal for what I had planned.

"Thank you Bhu'ja. Y-You have done so much for me. For us. "I replied, taking a step toward him.

Bhu'ja trilled as he watched me advance, the distance between us closing quickly.

"I want to see your face." I said softly as I clutched the skull to my chest.

Bhu'ja trilled softly as he reached up and unplugged his mask, the hiss of air filling the room. Taking it down off his face, his gold eyes sought out mine. I smiled as I carefully put the skull on a nearby shelf before leaning my forehead against his chest. His heart beat smoothly in his chest, the rhythmic thump relaxing me.

"Thank you again for the gift." I whispered against his stomach, my arms coming up to wrap halfway around his back. Though they were not quite touching, it was enough.

Bhu'ja thrilled in reply as he put a taloned hand under my chin, lifting my face to his and making me uncurl my arms from around him. He turned my head slowly to the side before purring deeply and tracing a faint symbol on my left cheek. I bit my lip and allowed it, my cheek tingling relentlessly with every stroke of his talon on my skin.

"My mark." He growled, the sound not as clear as it would have been with his mask.

I cursed under my breath as I felt yet another blush touch my cheeks. His mark? He was marking me? The idea of it seemed very intimate and personal, my stomach was fluttering with nervous jitters and yet- I didn't care about that. All I could think about was what being his would feel like, having his strength behind me in everything I did or tried to do.

When he reached down into his holster, I watched silently as he pulled out a small silver knife. The edge glinted dangerously in the light as he showed it to me, his mandibles coming in a bit as his eyes were filled with a dark curiosity. I looked from him to the knife and back before a thought came to me.

He wanted to mark me permanently.

I felt a slight shiver course up my spine at the idea of carrying his mark. The whole concept was not lost on me, however, seeing as a fellow tribe that often allied ours had the same habit of marking their bodies. The women and men all had marks on their foreheads that expressed what family they belonged to as well as the tribe they were from. Drawing first blood was also an honor that most warriors liked to take for themselves, so they would make a small cut on their chests over their hearts as if saying that 'The only blood to be spilt would be from this cut!' Even some of our warriors marked their cheeks and arms before a battle to honor our ancestors and the tribe as a whole.

I blinked up at him and made a decision then, nodding slowly as I felt my body tense in preparation for the pain.

"You fought many, all honorable kills. Now, blooded warrior." He purred roughly, as he steadied his hand.

It was quick.

Three quick flicks of the knife and he was done, carefully placing the small weapon on a shelf to clean off later, I assumed.

The mark felt light on my cheek, the meaning behind it however was heavier than I'd probably ever fully comprehend. But I was okay with that. I had plenty time to work toward understanding and appreciating just what it meant to bear his mark. I smiled proudly as I looked up at him, his gold eyes tracing his handy work with a look of pride that was quick to bloom into bold lust.

I bit my lip and stepped closer to him, our bodies a whisper away now. I reached up and pulled his head down to me, his deep gold eyes making me pause. We gazed at each other for a second, our hearts syncing in their hum as we did. I moved first, kissing his forehead. He let out a rough purr that made me light headed as his hands instantly went to my hips, pulling us even closer. I kissed him again, growing close to his mouth. His grip on my hips was tightening as I lifted up onto the tops of my toes to reach him easier. Suddenly I was in the air, his hands gripping me around my waist. I instinctively went to wrap my legs around his waist, his hands moving to cup my bottom. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed along his chin, his purring making the room feel hot and cloudy. I gasped as he turned us around to press me against the wall of the small room, his hips rubbing hard against mine. His mandibles were spread out as they traced along my throat, his hands squeezing me gently.

I found myself panting after a while, everything was so hot.

He was, I was, the air in the room was practically suffocating. Breathing was hard.

Bhu'ja must had felt how hot I was getting, because he was quick to set me down on my feet before taking a step back. I blinked a few times before glancing up at him to see him watching me curiously, the look was borderline smug though. After taking a few breaths, I smiled and walked to him, placing my hand against his chest.

"I am sorry, I am not use to this I guess," I said with a sheepish smile.

Bhu'ja nodded slowly as he stepped toward me, looking at his mark on my cheek with open admiration.

"You are mine…and mine alone. I can…wait." He replied roughly, thinking each word out before he spoke it. I smiled softly, my heart thumping away in my chest as he watched me closely, lust still burning in his alluring eyes.

I could still feel his hands on my body, the vivid memory causing lovely tingles to shoot through my body. I turned from him to pick up my skull, its cool surface pleasant to my overheated skin. When I turned back around, he was placing his mask back on. I frowned, mildly disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see his face. Though, I suppose it was my fault.

"Show me the rest of your ship." I suggested as I walked to him.

Bhu'ja tilted his head as he watched me for a moment, before nodding and lifting his hand to place it against the center of the door. It gave a click before sliding up, the light in the hallway coming to life. He headed out first, but I found myself lingering.

I held the skull tightly to my chest as I looked around the room.

This was his life, all he knew, and yet-he let me in. He gave me a piece of it.

Why? I felt totally lost, my body still shivering inside from the heaven we shared; bliss that was brought to an uneventful halt because of me.

Turning away with a small frown, I went after Bhu'ja.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hey Guys and Gals! GREAT NEWS My finals are over! Now I can focus on finishing this story (only a few few more chapters to go). Thank you for all the reviews and favorites and follows! I love reading feedback, it helps me along. Oh! Sorry about the short chapter! It'll be good though c; Anywho! Here it is for your reading pleasure! New Chapter! ENJOY xoxo**

 **Words: A'ket'anu (beautiful), L'ulij-bpe (crazy)**

Love & War 10

 _Imara POV_

It was raining now, the sound continuing endlessly as if it had forgotten how to stop. The idea of trekking back to the village, oddly enough, made my heart drop. I wanted to stay here, in this strange but warm ship, with him. Bhu'ja led the way into the other rooms, two of which looked to be places for sleeping, the other had many strange fixtures and nobs that fixated me and sparked my endless curiosity. Bhu'ja called it a bathroom, he relieved himself here and bathed apparently. I personally thought it was a bit silly, but many of his habits and customs struck me as trivial so I simply nodded that I understood.

"I want to talk." I said quickly when he went toward the front of the ship. My hand was clutching his arm, the muscles underneath my fingers tensing tightly before they slowly relaxed. I smiled as I slowly released him and turned to walk into one of the bedrooms.

"Tell me the truth." I said softly but firmly, my eyes searching the room and deciding that it must have been his.

"You never meant to stay, did you? You will go, will you not? If I step foot out of this ship…Y-you will leave." I frowned as I turned to him, sitting on the soft pile of furs that made up his bed.

Bhu'ja stood there, his hulking figure gazing down at me. I swallowed when he took a step toward me and tilted his head with a soothing purr.

"Yes." Was his sole answer.

"T-then I want to stay with you… if not for a while longer." I said as I felt my heart breaking.

Holding the skull to my chest, I reached up with one hand and grasped onto his wrist. I pulled and watched silently as he allowed me to draw him to the bed. I scooted over and lied down on my side, the skull pressed against my stomach.

"Lie with me." I whispered with another pull to his wrist, my fingers tingling when they swept by the scar I had given him upon our first meeting.

Bhu'ja relented and slowly lowered his body into the large bed, his masked eyes on the metal ceiling. I curled up and scooted a bit closer to him, our legs now barely touching. I bit my lip as I let my eyes sweep over his stoic figure, his chest rising and falling evenly as he folded one arm behind his head. I went to move just a bit closer, but was pleasantly surprised when he used his other arm to pull me to him. I felt my face glow from my blush as he looked down at me with a deep purr.

"The heating of your face, it is very pleasing to me." Bhu'ja growled out with an amused tone, his gold eyes twinkling from a smirk no doubt hidden under his mask.

I stared wide eyed up at him from my place tucked against his side, and to my dismay I blushed-again.

'And I thought he would be unable to see it.' I thought with a grimace of embarrassment.

We lied there after that, a comfortable silent growing between us. I rubbed my finger absently across the metal surface of his armor as I tried to imagine a life without him near me, watching me- protecting me.

A little more of my heart fell away.

"I am not sure what I feel for you…b-but I know that you mean so very much to me." I whispered against his chest, a small tear escaping my eye. "I will never forget you."

Bhu'ja purred louder as he hugged me against him, his masked face buried in the curve of my neck. I held on tightly to him, his forest scent mixed with a spicy undertone laced around my cloudy brain. I vaguely felt his large taloned hand as it slid down from my waist to my hips, stopping there to curl around my hip and press us even closer together.

"You make me want to stay…stay here with you and the tribe. Become their guardian…and yours." Bhu'ja growled out, his voice rough and filled with grief.

I instantly lifted my head from its current place on his wide shoulder to face him. He wanted to stay? At least some part of him wanted to stay? I lifted my hands to his masked face, one hand on each side, and stared into the eye slits of his mask.

"Then stay," I said firmly, my dark honey eyes pleading with him. "Stay."

He stared up at me for the longest time, my heart pounding away nervously in my chest as time seemed to stand still around us.

"I do not know if I can. Our Elders are the ones who sanction hunting on earth. If we are not hunting, we are ordered by law to move on. They will not let me stay." He replied with a soft hiss.

I slowly dropped my eyes to his bone beaded necklace as he slid my hands down off the sides of his mask. I felt the same heavy crushing feeling swallow me as his words spun around in my head. It was hopeless then? We would be separated one way or another? Anger bubbled up in my stomach, as I frowned deeply.

Something in me just wouldn't let that go. I would not just roll over for some law that my people and I were not even under. It was insane, and simply unfair. If he wanted to stay, he should be able to stay.

I frowned deeply and moved away from him, taking to my feet quickly with my gift pressed against my chest for reassurance. Bhu'ja looked up at me curiously as the wheels in my head turned rapidly.

"I want to talk with them." I uttered out, surprising even myself with how forceful I sounded.

"With who?" Bhu'ja asked, though his tone of voice would suggest that he knew exactly who I was talking about.

"The Elders. Your Elders. If I can talk with them, get them to see how much we need you here, they may permit it." I rushed out, my resolve firming as I thought through the newly forming plan in my head.

Bhu'ja let out this crackling sound and his shoulders began to shake as he stood up from the bed. If I didn't know any better, it looked as if he were laughing and at me. I instantly narrowed my eyes at him, his chuckling settling down as he stood over me, towering really, with his head tilted.

"You never fail to surprise me, Imara. For an earth female, you are strong and determined. It is very pleasing to me." He purred smoothly, the sound vibrating through me.

"But, I do not condone this plan. The Elders of Yautja Prime are to be feared, not negotiated with. Many have died over lesser offenses. "He continued, his head tilted as he ended the statement with a rumble from deep in his throat.

I swallowed, my body still in a state of numb pleasure from the constant purring. But, with a mental jerk I blinked quickly and opened my mouth to reply,

"But, w-we must do something! I do want to part from you." I frowned as I walked to him, holding the skull to my chest as I looked up at him,

"A'ket'anu," Bhu'ja husked out, tracing a nail around his mark on my cheek before cupping the side of my face gently. Then he released me with a harsh growl and a shake of his large head, hissing out, "This is L'ulij-bpe."

I wasn't sure of the meanings of some of the words, but I could understand the gist of it.

He had agreed.

But-my family… how would I tell my family? How would I explain my disappearing so suddenly? What if there was another attack while we were gone? I bit my lip as a flurry of new worries and concerns flooded my poor brain to overflowing.

"What about my family? What if there is another attack while we are gone?" I asked with a tense tone, my hands clasped together as I lowered my body back onto the bed.

Bhu'ja reached down toward me and took the tracker from its place against my hip. With a small grunt, he turned the small machine over in his hands. It looked as if he were restarting it so that the small red button would pop back up again, and that it did.

"Here. Give it to one of the people in the tribe, tell them to push it if they are attacked and we will come right back to them." Bhu'ja rumbled in his rough voice, handling the device to me.

"Like you came for me when I pushed it." I concluded with a smile.

"Yes." He purred in response.

I nodded my head and tucked it back against my hip, then stood from the bed to face him. I placed my hand against his chest, his heart beat thundering under my fingers and with a broad smile, I turned and headed to the bedroom door. It slid up after Bhu'ja placed his hand against it, and I walked out to the control room with determined steps. When we stopped in front of the entrance to his ship, I peeked over at him but quickly turned back with a light blush as I held my skull tightly to my chest completely hot faced that he had caught me looking.

"We will leave as soon as we can, so we can return just as soon." I said as the large door slowly opened up.

Warm, humid air flittered across my skin as the night sky finally came into my line of vision. I walked down the ramp, relieved it had stopped raining, but instantly stilled when I didn't hear the faint sound of footsteps following me. Turning back around, Bhu'ja stood stoically on the ramp with the glow from the ship's light surrounding his figure. I felt breathless just looking at him.

"Are you not coming?" I asked with a confused tilt of my head.

"Give the tracker to someone you can trust, and I will be here-waiting." He said with little to no emotion in his voice, his blank mask staring back at me.

I swallowed as a thought came to me, a truly horrible thought. He wouldn't leave…he wouldn't.

I bit my lip before walking back to him, and lifting up onto the ends of my toes to place a soft kiss against the side of his mask before growling out, "You better be."

Then, I turned and ran into the lush green foliage. Jumping over fallen branches and rocks and puddles, all I could do was pray and hope that he would still be there when I returned.

'He wouldn't leave me.' I thought as I raced toward the faint lights of the village.

He wouldn't.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Hello guys and gals! Sorry about the wait UnU here is the new chapter (it is a long one...sorta-ish)! Thank you again for any reviews, favorites, and follows! Don't forget to tell me what you think of the chapter and of the story so far! I'm loving all the feedback! Anywho~**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

 **Words: A'ket'anu (beautiful), je'kainde (stubborn)**

Love & War 11

 _Imara POV_

The forest was alive with the sounds of the night. Though the darkness hid their forms from my sight, the hooting of monkeys and the cries of insects told me all I needed to know. I crept back into the village, my footfalls light as I passed hut after hut. A bit away from the hut my mother and I shared, with Enzo as our occasional guest, was the hut that I have had my eye on from the moment I crossed back into the village's fences. With the tracker pushing against my hip, I walked the distance to their hut and stepped inside. The soft rumbles of sleep peacefully filled the air around me as I looked from bed to bed.

Then, I saw him.

The only man I could trust with the tracker. The only man I could trust to see why I was leaving, and to believe that I would return.

"Henri." I whispered as I shook his shoulder.

He mumbled and frowned in his sleep hazed state, turning toward me with narrowed eyes.

"Imara? Wh-what is it?" He asked, stifling a yawn as he blinked a few times. Lyza sighed in her sleep, her face settling to press against his side after a bit of turning about.

"Henri, H-henri look at me. Wake up. I need to-to talk to you." I stammered out as I turned and made my way out of their hut.

The soft whispering of the couple could barely be heard above the jittering of the creatures hidden under the cover of night. After a bit more whispering and a thud sound, Henri emerged from the entry way and looked at me with a frown.

"What is it, my sister? What troubles you?" He asked in his soft voice.

I could only look up at him silently then down to my dirtied feet. Steadying my breathing, I stiffened my spine. I had to tell him, I had to tell Henri. Bhu'ja was waiting for me, I-I had to tell him.

"I-I have to leave...Brother." I stated with an iron resolve I didn't quite feel.

Suddenly, Henri's sleepy haze cleared, and his eyes were wide with disbelief as he looked at me.

"Wh-what? Why? You cannot leave, your mother, y-your sister…You cannot go Imara!" Henri said as he took a stern step toward me.

I clenched my fists and took a step back, ignoring the hurt that shined in his eyes as I did.

"He plans to leave, Henri. I-I cannot allow that. Not if there is something I can do, a way to get him to stay." I told him as I looked into his confused brown eyes.

"Who, Imara? Who is leaving? I can-we can help you! There has to be-" Henri stammered.

"No. There is not, brother." I said curtly, cutting him off in his futile attempt to get me to see reason.

I was beyond that now.

All I knew was that I had to go with him, I had to get the elders to see how much he was needed here. It was not much, but it was the only thing I could do.

"I am sorry…but I will be back Henri. Here," I said as I reached for the tracker and handed it to him. "Push the red button if the settlers come back. We will return then. Give Lyza and Enzo my love. And…take care of my mother…her heart may not be able to take this-my leaving."

I turned then and started toward the village's fenced walls.

"Wait! Y-you said..we.." Henri yelled, the tracker clutched tightly in his hand.

I turned half way, letting him see the side of my face, then gave a sole nod.

"The guardian, Henri. He means to leave…and I cannot let him do that. There are people that I need to talk to, they will see how we need him here and then WE will return. I give you my word, " I promised, before turning and giving him my back. "Be well, my brother."

Then, I ran.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

Henri's cries for me to return urged me on even as they echoed hauntingly behind me. My tribe, my family, my home…everything-I would fight to ensure their safety. I would give them my all, everything I had to give. This plan had to work, it just had to.

I jumped over branches and vines as I ran back toward the clearing. Climbing up a tree, I jumped from branch to branch in hopes of getting there quicker. As the clearing came into view, I jumped down from the high branch I was on and landed in a bent crouch, my heart thundering in my chest. The clearing was quiet and calm, the moist night air creating a layer of fog that settled on the foliage of the jungle floor. I slowly crept forward, narrowing my eyes and desperately trying to find the hazy outline of his ship. I bit my lip and stiffened my back when I couldn't see anything- he wouldn't.

I listened carefully and only gave a sigh of relief when the faint sound of a gentle hum could be heard.

He stayed.

I reached out cautiously and smiled when I felt the smooth metal of the ship under my fingers, though I couldn't see it. The very idea in fact was unconceivable, but I didn't allow myself to settle on that.

"Bhu'ja!" I yelled instead, taking a quick step back when a bright light appeared and grew bigger slowly.

There he was. His hulking form slowly being revealed to me as the door lowered, beckoning me inside.

"I returned." I stated with a smile, stepping forward to him.

"I still do not condone this plan." Bhu'ja growled out, yet he stepped aside to let me in all the same.

"I know you do not, but it is the only thing I can think of to do." I replied with a determined stare.

Bhu'ja let out a harsh growl paired with a mighty shake of his head, his dreadlocks wildly flying whichever way.

"A'ket'anu, but je'kainde." He growled as he tilted his head at me.

I simply narrowed my eyes at him and turned to walk into the control room, going all the way up to the large windows to look out. I wasn't quite sure about what he had said, but I was sure he had at least called me beautiful. The idea that he thought me beautiful made my heart soar, and I bit my lip as I willed my face to remain blush-free.

"I gave the tracker to Henri, h-he did not take it as smoothly as I had hoped." I said, my back still turned to him as I gazed out of the windows of the ship.

"Oomans become very attached quite easily, it was an expected reaction…was It not?" Bhu'ja growled out as he watched me.

I turned to him and nodded, "It was. But, if I remember well…you became very attached to me as well." I countered with a raised brow.

Bhu'ja grunted and crossed his well-muscled arms across his wide chest, his eyes no doubt looking at me with an amused look under his mask. "That was different."

"Oh really? How?" I replied, cracking a smile.

Bhu'ja purred deeply and took a step toward me, lifting a taloned hand to touch his mark on my cheek. "It just was." He purred.

I leaned my face into his caress, the purring was quick to ease into my senses and effectively numbed them. I wanted to stay this way forever, or at least for now.

"We should go now." He growled softly, taking his hand away.

I could only give a sole nod before turning back to the windows. A generous hum filled the air as Bhu'ja set to work lifting the ship higher into the air and setting the coordinates.

"Are we going to your planet?" I asked curiously, casting a glance to him over my shoulder.

He was bent over the control table where he was busy pressing a number of strange symbols. He finished and waited as a handle rose from the table and Bhu'ja lifted his hand to grab onto it and push it forward. This seemed to urge the ship to fully power on, all the lights came on and a voice came on from the table and filled the room with words and clicks that were all too lost on me.

"Yes." He finally replied, as he stood up straight.

I nodded and turned back just in time to see the jungle, my home, disappear.

All that lush green was replaced with stark darkness, my home nothing but a small dot to break apart the eternal blanket of black.

"This is called space." Bhu'ja said softly from behind me.

I nodded slowly, my deep honey eyes wide with mixed feelings of sadness and excitement.

Space…hmm.

It was interesting to me. The moon was off to the side of us and looked much bigger than it had ever before. The glow from it was just as lovely though as it had been on those nights that I spent in the trees, dreaming of a world away from my own. The stars too were breathtaking, bright dots and swirls that raced by us. I couldn't help the smile that touched my lips as I turned back to Bhu'ja, who was leaned back in his large chair staring at me.

He did that a lot I noticed. He stared and watched me as if I were the most fascinating creature he had ever seen. As if…he were captivated by me.

I bit the inside of my lip and stared back.

"Come." He purred, reaching his hand out for me to take.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and took careful steps toward him until I was standing directly in front of his seated body. He wrapped his arms around my waist and quickly hoisted me into his lap, sitting me so that I was laying horizontally across him with my back on the arm rest of the chair. I sighed and let my head fall onto his shoulder, his heart beating strongly against my side. I bit my lip and twisted my upper body so that I could wrap both my arms around his neck, burying my face against his neck. I yawned and listened as his many necklaces jingled when he shifted me in his arms and stood up from the chair.

"Thank you." I said, my words fading as soon as I said them.

"For what?" He asked with a soft purr, his masked face nuzzling against mine as he walked.

"For helping. For staying." His hold on the backs of my legs and my waist tightened as he held me closer to him.

"How could I not." He replied softly.

I smiled against his shoulder and allowed sleep to take me as soft fur surrounded my body and a deep humming purr lulled me further into the hazy world of slumber.

Suddenly, from the darkness, sprang a light. It was small and very far away, but that didn't stop me from noticing it. If anything, it only made the desire to catch it all the greater. So-I ran to it. My feet were bare as usual and I could feel the smooth surface of the floor underneath my toes.

I was almost there.

When I reached it, the light bloomed and brightened with such intensity that I had to shut my eyes. Blinking them open slowly, I held a hand to my face as I took in my surroundings. I was back home. The night was quiet, the night life chittering like they always were. I frowned as I took a step forward, my spine stiffening defensively when I feel eyes on my back. I turned swiftly and gasped, staring in wide eyed horror at the sight before me.

Akachi was dead.

His head had been severed and stuck onto a wooden pole, then placed in front of the village. His eyes were wide, the look of agony and suffering still present on his face. Beside him were other warriors, their heads all presented in the same way. They were lined up side by side, reaching toward each corner of the fenced walls. I held in a sob, closing my eyes to such horror-but not quick enough. I caught a glimpse deep brown eyes, eyes that would look after me, and laugh with me, and cry when I cried.

"H-Henri." I stammered, my legs giving out under me. I came crashing down to my knees, heavy sobs racking my chest as I looked up at my brother-in-law. Tears spilled unchecked from my eyes, dripping down my chin and hitting the blood stained ground.

"Henri!" I screamed into the night air.

In his mouth was the tracker, the red button smashed down between his pink tinted teeth. What was happening?

I lifted myself slowly, and turned from them on shaky legs. I had to find Lyza and Enzo and my Mother. As I walked deeper into the village, more screams could be heard. They were all matched with cries for help, throaty pleas for life that weighted heavy on my heart.

My family. I had to find my family.

"Lyza! Enzo!" I yelled out, twisting and turning from right to left; searching for any trace of them. "Mother!"

The huts were not in the same order as they usually were. It was like a maze, confusing and unclear.

"Enzo!" I called out, my voice rising an octave to match my panic level.

"Anybody?" I whispered out.

"You're too late." Chuckled a voice. The laugh was a light sound though, as if it had been carried to me by the wind.

A tall shadow appeared then, the dark form cast across the side of a hut. I gasped harshly and turned to run, only for a heavy hand to fall onto my shoulder and turn me back around. I blinked up at a face I didn't quite recognize, the light coloring of his skin and the gun at his side my only indication that he definitely didn't belong here. I hissed at the strange man before punching him in the jaw, his head snapping to the side from the force.

I quickly ran, refusing to stop until I had enough distance between us. And yet, he was there again. Before me, standing proudly with his hands stained scarlet from the blood of my people.

"You're too late." He whispered with a grin, before he came toward me and clutched my arms tightly.

"Let me go! Do not touch me! Murderer!" I cried as I fought against his pull.

"Imara."

I shut my eyes as I cried and scratched and kicked, I gave it everything I had.

"Imara! Imara, wake up!"

The pulling increased until I was completely pressed against a hard yet warm chest. With my arms now pinned between our chests, I struggled to suck in shaky breaths as a numbing lively purr eased into me, covering me with a calm I didn't feel.

"You are safe. You are safe, Imara. I would never let anything or anyone hurt you. Calm yourself, easy." Growled a voice, the sound of his voice rumbling about in his chest as he spoke.

I slowly opened my wet eyes, and breathed out a heavy sigh of relief at the sight of a green and brown speckled shoulder.

"Bhu'ja." I whispered hoarsely, my arms quick to wrap themselves around his neck. He tensed at first, but relaxed when he saw I only meant to draw comfort from him.

"Are you well now? Are you better?" he asked, concern evident in his rough voice.

"Yes. Yes. I am fine, just a nightmare. I have been having them a lot lately." I sighed tiredly.

Bhu'ja nodded but tilted his head as he looked out across the room, "You screamed…kicked me, hit me, scratched me…I am not so sure I believe you." He grumbled.

"I am fine. Honestly, I am." I replied as I pulled away from his neck. Lifting my hands to both sides of his face, I said the words again to reaffirm them; more so for myself though than for him.

"We are close. I came to wake you." Bhu'ja said as he picked me up, only to gently lie me back down onto the bed of furs.

"We are close to your planet?" I asked, as I crawled to the edge of the bed.

"No, a docking ship. I was informed, while you were sleeping, that the matriarch for the region of land my clan obtains was on this docking ship. We will talk to her." He said as he turned toward the doors.

"But, I thought we had to talk to the elders about this? What can this matriarch possibly do?" I called out after him.

Bhu'ja tilted his head and turned to look down at me, "Everything. She is above all the elders. They take bigger issues to her to decide their fate, then they simply relay the news back. She is who we need to talk to about this. Trust me." He replied.

I bit my lip and nodded slowly, taking my time as I stood up and stretched.

"So, when do I get to talk to her?" I decided to ask.

Bhu'ja trilled, and turned his head toward his wrist bracelet.

"Soon."

And with that, he was gone from the room.

I followed him out, stifling a yawn as I looked around at the metal walls. I found myself in the control room once more, and headed for the large windows that stretched out wide over the front of the ship.

"What is a docking ship?" I asked with wide eyes, as we drew closer to a much larger ship that had a number of other ships coming and going from it.

"These ships act as a sort of rest stop. You can be accepted in depending on your clan and rank. They have a number of facilities that are available, such as several training areas, a large hall for eating, many rooms to stay in, and a few other things. The matriarchs take turns checking up on them to ensure they are functioning honorably." Bhu'ja said as he steered the ship toward other ships that were all passing into the docking ship.

"And just how soon…is soon?" I asked, fighting to keep the nervous tone from my voice.

"Very soon." Bhu'ja trilled, amused.

Of course it was.

I bit the inside of my lip as I turned back toward the windows. Bhu'ja settled his ship inside the docking ship and let the ship hover before it settled into a brace like thing that clamped onto the ship from underneath to keep it in place. The whole ship shuddered as the brace locked onto the ship- immobilizing us.

Bhu'ja swiped and pressed on the control table until the handle rose from inside it, then he eased the handle back and the ship slowly powered down.

I wiped a sweaty hand down my skirt, which was resting low on my hips, as I tried to calm myself.

"I know I have already said this…but I feel the need to repeat it…I do not condone this plan. The matriarch is to be obeyed, not negotiated with. She will try something. Be ready, Imara." Bhu'ja said from beside me.

I nodded and pulled up my top, stiffening my spine confidently as Bhu'ja tapped a few symbols on his wrist bracelet.

I held my breath as the doors opened slowly. It was now or never.

The matriarch will listen to me. She will-or I will make her listen.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas guys and gals! Well...Merry Early Christmas...Anywho! Here is a super long chapter for your reading pleasure! Thank you so much for all the follows and favorites and reviews! You all know I love feedback, so don't forget to tell me what you think of the story so far, and of course how you liked the chapter! Imara sure is a tough little cookie lol Hope your holiday seasons go great and are full and cheer...and stuff...YUP**

 **Enjoyxoxo**

Love & War 12  
 _Imara POV_

I couldn't breathe. Bodies pressed against me from all sides, rumbling growls and howling roars surrounding me. All I could do was hold onto the arm in front of me. Refusing to let go, for fear of never being found again. It was overwhelming, and yet exciting all at once. Creatures like Bhu'ja walking about freely, some dressed in shiny armor while others simply had on loincloths. I bit my lip nervously when one of them stepped up to Bhu'ja. I peered around Bhu'ja to try and get a better look at the Yautja male, but I was surprised to see him doing the same. He strained to get a glance at me, his emotionless mask in place on his face, and snarled when Bhu'ja pushed me behind him and out of the male's view.  
They exchanged a few snarls combined with clicks before the other male strolled away. I frowned at his back before looking up at Bhu'ja.

"What was that about?" I asked as I moved to step out from behind him.

"Nothing." He replied before he started walking again.

Only this time he had a slower, deadlier, strut that seemed to warn others about approaching us. I wasn't sure what was going on-but I knew it wasn't nothing. I decided to cast those thoughts aside though when we stepped into a hall that led away from the busy area of the open market.

We walked for a bit in silence before we soon approached two large doors that had two yautja males posted as a guard. Their large taloned hands had long spears in them, the ends sharpened perfectly. Their armor was a silver color that glimmered in the light from the large torches that lined the walls. Their masks were gone, fierce glowing red eyes replacing them. They growled out a warning as we approached, their spears coming down to point at us with hungry intent.

Bhu'ja uttered some growling clicks to the guards who were quick to reply with their own hissing clicks. I watched the exchange curiously as they bantered back and forth. Finally the guards relented and one cast us an annoyed look before disappearing behind the twin doors. The other guard stayed where he was, glaring at us. I avoided his burning gaze as much as I could, looking instead to Bhu'ja who was glaring right back.

The other guard returned then, with an unhappy look wavering across his features. I frowned and looked to Bhu'ja who was looking at the guard expectantly. They seemed to talk more to each other in their strange clicking language before Bhu'ja nodded once and turned to leave.

"W-wait. Where are you going?" I asked with a deep frown, my feet refusing to move even as the guards burned holes into my back with their stares.

"To our room. Come." He growled out, reaching for my arm.

"We cannot leave! We have not-I have not talked to her yet!" I replied as I side stepped his attempt to grab my elbow.

"You will get your chance. Now, come here." He growled, ending his statement with a smooth purr.

I frowned and crossed my arms across my chest, narrowing my eyes at him. "When?"

A few clicks followed by hisses of varying pitch sounded from behind me. Bhu'ja instantly snarled and roared, his wide shoulder squaring off as he stepped toward the guards. They both snarled back and held up their spears, ready if not eager for a sure battle.

Bhu'ja rose to his full height, which I was surprised to see surpassed the height of the guards, and took a step forward. I knew a start to a male fight when I saw one, and I was not in the mood.

"Enough!" I yelled, stepping in front of him.

I pressed my hands to his chest and bit my lip when I felt how fast his heart was beating. Rapidly, it beat away in his chest, he wanted to fight.

I opened my mouth to attempt to defuse the situation but Bhu'ja beat me to it. "The matriarch will see us tomorrow. Now, come." He growled, grabbing my upper arm to pull me away.

I nodded and hurried after him, his grip tight. I was happy he had seen through the haze but I was partly concerned seeing how he was still breathing fast and hissing under his breath.

'What had they said?' I thought to myself as I followed him into another hall.

It was truly a maze of halls. Many doors lined the walls, many rooms behind them. We soon stopped in front of one with a symbol on it. It matched the one on my cheek. Bhu'ja released me to open the door, simply placing his large hand on the glowing square by the door. I watched fascinated as a red line flashed across his palm before the door slide up, allowing entrance.

The room was nice, a main living area could be seen first, with a hall off to the right that had three other doors leading to different rooms. I walked inside and felt Bhu'ja follow in after me, the door sliding shut.

"I will program the door to open to you as well." He trilled as he walked past me toward a small table made from metal.

I nodded and watched as he took off his wrist bracelet, placing it on the table carefully.

"I also have a gift for you." He purred as he reached into a pouch on his waist. His hand came back with a small thing clutched inside it.

I frowned curiously as he looked over the thing before he took cautious steps toward me. Once he was only a breath away from me, he reached up to brush my braided hair to the side. The bead covered strands cascaded down one shoulder, his large taloned hand gently pushing my chin to tilt my head up and to the side.

"What is it?" I asked breathlessly.

"This is a syringe...you will experience a small pain.." He purred as he took a moment to trail a talon across my bare shoulder.

I watched with wide eyes as Bhu'ja took the syringe and pressed something on the end that caused a sharp silver spike to promptly appear on the end. He lifted the syringe to the light and peered into the small space inside, grunting when he saw what he wanted.

"W-wait!" I exclaimed as I flinched away from his hand, the syringe clutched tightly in his grasp.

"What? Are you afraid?" He asked, with an overly amused tone.

I glared up at him and uttered a "No."

"Then hold still. You will like this gift, I promise."  
He purred.

I bit my lip and shut my eyes, holding my breath as his hand swooped down to hit its mark perfectly. A small prick burned its way across the back of my neck. I could also numbly feel the pressure from Bhu'ja pushing the substance in. I gasped sharply and had to blink back tears as searing pain bloomed from that spot on my throat.

Bhu'ja stepped back and looked down at me, a satisfied trill filling the air around him. I could only frown deeply as I tenderly touched the spot on my neck.

"What did you do to me?" I asked, fighting in vain to keep the tremor out of my voice.

Bhu'ja only trilled and tilted his head as he continued to watch me. I gritted my teeth and looked down at the floor, the smooth white surface looking even brighter as my vision swam a bit. After a bit more blinking, I peeked up when I heard the familiar sound of a mask being taken off. One tube after another, Bhu'ja removed his mask slowly. His golden eyes, the purest a hue that I had ever seen, looked deeply into mine.

"You handled the pain quite well. I am pleasantly surprised. Honestly, some yautja do not even react as well as you did." He grunted, his voice a rough baritone.

It was different though from the slightly monotone sound of his voice with the mask. Even his voice without a mask didn't sound like this. His voice was clear, if not a bit gruff, and seemed true to his figure.

I blinked in shock as I stared wide eyed up at him, it suddenly hitting me. He was not speaking Swahili…he was speaking his own language. And I was understanding it perfectly. After all, he said so himself that he couldn't speak my language very well without his mask; only getting away with a few carefully placed words at a time.

"Y-you…you…you just..to me...a-and I-I" I stuttered, pointing a finger up at him before turning that same finger back toward myself.

He let out a rapid chittering sound that I knew most as a laugh. His shoulders jumped lightly from his laughter as he shut his eyes in amusement.

"Yes. Do you like it? It is called a translator, it is implanted in your spinal cord. Now, when you hear a language you will be able to understand it." Bhu'ja said as he looked down at me with amused eyes.

I nodded numbly and let his words replay in my head, their meaning slowly making more sense to me as I rolled them about in my mind.

'So I could understand him now?' I wondered silently as I looked up at him with awe shining in my eyes.

We could finally understand each other-fully.

"Can I speak your language too?" I asked curiously, stepping up to him.

"No. You will have to learn that on your own. I will assist you though...if you wish." He purred, his gold eyes scanning my face.

I nodded and smiled, reaching out to put a hand on his chest. His heart beat smoothly under my palm, a deep rumbling purr coming from deep inside.

"Thank you." I said softly.

He only gave a single low nod as his reply, his eyes trailing down over my beaded hair to my eyes then my mouth and chin. I stood silently as he leisurely dropped his eyes down, caressing my exposed neck and shoulder with his all-consuming gaze.

"You truly have done so much for me." I said with a small grateful smile.

Bhu'ja grunted and shook out his hair, the thick strands settling down around his shoulders. He then started taking off the rest of his armor, his chest plate and his shin guards and the many weapons that encased his body. I sat down on a small mountain of furs and watched him silently as he carefully placed each piece beside its mate, his mask being the last part to be carefully placed. Once he was happy with their placement, he turned back to me and pulled me up from the furs. His thickly muscled arm wrapped about my waist and guided me back toward one of the doors. I watched as it slid up when we approached, a bed and a couple of small tables the first thing to be seen. The bed wasn't as nice as the one on his ship, but it would do all the same.

"Are you tired?" I asked as I looked around the room.

"Not really." He purred, his grip on me tightening.

I felt my heart skip as I risked glancing up at him, his golden eyes instantly finding mine. I felt my face grow hot with my blush as he purred and leaned his head down. My breath caught when both his hands came to my hips, his face buried against my neck, and swiftly pulled us closer.

There was no armor this time.

It was just him and I, breathing and feeling as one. I wrapped one arm around his wide shoulders, their rough texture making my skin tingle, and gasped when I felt his sharp mandibles drag across my collarbone. So many feelings were rushing through me and it was hard to keep up.

My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest, so much that I feared he might hear it.

Bhu'ja slid his large taloned hands up to my waist and picked me up with ease. I held my breath as I fell down and back onto the bed, its soft furs skating across my sensitive skin. I smiled shyly when he climbed slowly onto the bed, holding himself on his hands and knees as he floated over me. I reached up and grabbed hold of a few thick strands of his hair, a shiver racing straight past my belly to settle down below when he growled warningly at me. I grinned and placed a soft kiss to his mandible, his instant purr urging me on. I peppered his face in small kisses before moving down to his shoulders. The molting of colors there was beautiful and I found myself staring, tracing the swirling colors and spots with my eyes lovingly.

Bhu'ja slowly lowered his body onto mine, careful to keep most of his weight off me. I gasped softly when his knee effortlessly slid between my legs, parting them slightly. He lowered his head to my shoulder and spread his mandibles across the delicate brown skin there. I could feel his warm breath fluttering across my shoulder, his barrel chest expanding and shrinking rapidly as his breathing picked up. I bit my lip and held onto him, the room growing incredibly hot. I didn't want to ruin this moment, and silently cursed my inexperienced body and heart for their innocence and timidness.

I had never been in this situation, never let myself fall into the trap I had seen many of the tribe's girls my age leap into head first.

Yet-here I was. Leaping in head first. And it terrified me.

"I am sorry." I whispered against his neck, his many skull necklaces dangling down above me.

I frowned when I felt his shoulders shake and a chittering sound mix with the warm air in the room. Was he laughing?

I pulled back and stared up at him, his gold eyes staring back at me with pure amusement and lust burning in their depths.

"Are you not mad?" I asked in a small voice.

He trilled and moved his knee up between my legs a bit, rubbing it against me in a way that had me squirming desperately on the bed of furs.

"Why would I be mad when you react to me so sweetly? I told you, I am willing to wait." He purred deeply, his mandibles pulling into a smirk.

I blushed when his eyes trekked curiously across my face, I quickly chose to hide my heated face instead. Bhu'ja trilled and settled down beside me, pulling me to his hard body so that he could cradle my body with his own.

"I thought you said you were not tired?" I asked with an embarrassed glare as I tried to ignore just how good it felt to lie next to him.

"You have tired me out. Be quiet now, let me sleep." He grunted out, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me back against him.

I bit my lip and nodded once, closing my eyes in an attempt to catch a quick nap.

And for once my dreams were quiet and blank, void of everything but a subtle warmth I was slowly growing accustom to.

 _Next Day_

A deep rumbling purr woke me from my deep sleep. Blinking slowly, I frowned when I came face to face with a shiny metal wall. I moved in an attempt to stretch, was instantly reminded of where I was. The arm across my waist tightened when I tried to slowly pull away, the muscles under his rough pebbled skin bunching and tightening as he pulled me closer.

"We need to get up." I whispered to him, putting my hand over his.

He grunted against the back of my neck, his other arm pillowed under his head. Sitting up, I fought against his hold when he tried to pull me back down.

"Get up now. We have to talk to her today." I said, stifling a yawn.

I climbed from the bed and stretched when my bare feet hit the ground. Looking behind me, I smiled at Bhu'ja who was sitting up in the bed was looking non-too pleased.

"Have I not expressed how much of a bad plan this is?" He trilled, standing up from the furs.

I nodded and grinned, "You have."

"Well not enough, seeing how you are still set on talking to the matriarch." He grunted, rolling his broad shoulders as he walked out of the room.

I chuckled and followed after him, ignoring the looks he gave me as I stepped into the bathroom after he did. After a quick shower, I changed into the cream colored knee length skirt and band like top that Bhu'ja left on the bed for me. I was putting my braided hair into a longer single braid, the strands dangling down my back as I straightened my skirt nervously when I saw my small knife tucked away in its holster on the floor. How it got there…I wasn't quite sure. Bending down, I swiftly picked it up and strapped it to my thigh, smiling when I instantly felt relief rush over my frayed nerves. I walked confidently from the bedroom to hall in search of Bhu'ja, only to find him in the main living area typing away on his wrist bracelet. All his armor was back on as well as his many weapons, even his mask seemed more polished and serious than usual.

I frowned at the unsettling air he was giving off, his playful mood long gone.

"Here." He growled as he threw me a small round thing.

I caught it easily and stared at it, before casting a confused look his way.

"What is it?" I asked, sniffing it. It smelled sweet and I winced when my stomach cramped from a hunger I didn't realize I had.

"Fruit. It is safe. You need to eat." He grunted, watching me expectantly.

"Thank you." I said softly, biting into the fruit.

Before I knew it, it was gone. The only traces left of it being the sticky remnants of it on my fingertips.

"Thank you again, it was good. Uhm…Shall we go?" I asked, turning then to the door which opened when I pressed my hand to the glowing square beside the door as Bhu'ja had done the night before. Well…I think it was night. Being in space was quite confusing to me when it came to telling night from day. I could only rely on my body, sleeping when I felt tired and waking when my body had replenished itself.

Bhu'ja led the way, his steps silent in the long hall. I followed, trying in vain to make my steps just as light. Door after door pasted before we were back at the double doors of the matriarch's room. A different set of guards were posted in front, their fierce set eyes just as dangerous though.

"Come in." Came a husky tone from behind the door.

I raised an eyebrow as the guards lowered their heads and opened the doors for us. I walked in first, stiffening my spine as I glanced around the large room. There were a few tables covered in what I guessed was food, while others were covered in weapons that ranged from spears to small throwing knives to gun shaped weapons.

"Matriarch." Bhu'ja said from beside me, lowering his head briefly before boldly making eye contact.

I copied him and bowed my head, lowing my eyes to my bare toes before lifting my head.

When I did, I was met with beautiful glowing light blue eyes. Her face was a light cream color that faded out into a darker bluish-green color that looked like a color from the clear lakes around my home. I blinked and instantly looked away, her gaze unrelenting even then.

"What have you got here, Bhu'ja?" The deep yet feminine voice cooed. She then started to circle me, the overwhelming urge to crouch and hiss at her strong in my gut.

A sharp taloned finger came up to press against the underside of my chin, urging me to tilt my head up. Complying silently, I watched mutely as she tilted my face to side, peering down at my cheek with blazing eyes.

"So it is true…A mere ooman savage with a warrior's mark. Yours too…" She grunted, roughly releasing my chin.

"Matriarch, we have some matters that we need your help with." Bhu'ja growled, the sharp edge in his voice evident.

"Whatever it is-the answer is no." She said swiftly, turning to walk to the sole chair in the room.

"Please! If you would only hear me out! You will see-" I started before a loud hiss filled the room.

"There is nothing to see! Whatever your issue is, I don't see why I should help." The matriarch stated in a bored tone.

I was beginning to see why Bhu'ja was not a fan of this plan.

"But, you are their head elder! It is your job to help your people! You cannot just-" I exclaimed, my voice dying in my throat as she swiftly stood from her throne to stalk her way to me. She towered over me easily, her height even past that of Bhu'ja, and I instantly lowered my eyes submissively.

"Give me one reason. One reason why I shouldn't just end your short life now. I have slaughtered others for lesser offenses." She hissed.

"Please!" I swallowed my pride then, too embarrassed to even look at Bhu'ja. "I-I will do anything! Just-Just let him stay on earth. My people…my family…they need him. I need him. Please." I plead, bowing my head and biting my tongue.

"Hmm…Interesting." She purred as she crossed her lean arms over her ample chest.

Though I kept my head bowed, I kept my eyes open and followed her movements closely. The silky dark blue of her robes flowed behind her as she walked to Bhu'ja.

"So you have been on earth…" She sighed, coming to stand close to him. "And here I was starting to miss you."

I felt my vision swim in a sea of red when she reached her hands up to unplug his mask. Any female besides me being that close to him was not okay-ever. Even if it was a Matriarch…I didn't care. The hissing sound cascaded over us as she took his mask from his face, leaving a pair of very annoyed golden eyes to fill their place. I watched in slight confusion as she gracefully swayed away, stopping to step on a tile on the floor and standing back as a table rose up from underneath. The metal table had a lot of red symbols on it that still made no sense to me but I ignored them, watching instead as she placed his mask onto a pole like thing that was sticking up from the table.

"Let's see just what you've been up to on earth." She said with a cool tone.

A hazy picture then appeared, hovering above the table for all to see. I lifted my head more to get a better look and was shocked to see myself on the image. It was me climbing up trees with Enzo, and me fighting the big cat, and me smiling and laughing and a multitude of other things. There were also the battles he fought for us, the blood and death harmonizing together as is customary in any war.

Then, I was there again.

Fighting for my life and for the lives of my family. Covered in the blood of the slain, I had never looked so fierce.

"You never left…did you? You-you were there the whole time. Watching…" I muttered absently, a deep purr my only answer from Bhu'ja on the matter.

"I feel I must apologize…You most definitely are not a weak one. But, I still have to say no. It is law after all." The matriarch sighed, genuine pity in her voice.

Pity wasn't what I needed though, I needed her to agree.

"Please! Please, you must reconsider." I rushed out.

She then stopped the image from playing and took his mask off of the pole, carelessly handing it back. The matriarch was silent for a bit after that, looking from Bhu'ja to me. I felt as if I would shake apart from the never ending tension.

"Earlier you said anything, ooman female. Did you truly mean it?" She finally asked, watching me with a gleam in her light blue eyes that had a shiver running down my back.

"Yes!" I quickly replied.

"Hmm…then how about this…I want to see you fight again. Your technique is different, it fascinates me. I will give you a week to practice, then you will fight my best fighter. If you win, we will negotiate the conditions of Bhu'ja staying on earth." She said as she watched me steadily.

"Yes! Yes, I agree!" I hastily decided.

Bhu'ja swiftly turned his head to me, his eyes blazing with anger.

"No! No, you cannot." He hissed, stepping toward me. "It is a trap, can you not see that?"

"Yes…yes, I can see that…But, I do not know what else to do! Don't you see? This is the only way." I glared, turning to face the Matriarch head on.

"I accept." I stated clearly.

"Excellent. Oh! Yes, by the way…if you lose-I get to keep you. You would make a nice toy I think, target practice perhaps…" She chimed, the look in her eyes now making perfect sense. I gritted my teeth against it and straightened up to my full height.

"I will not lose. I can assure you of that." I stated coldly before I turned from her sharp gaze to face the double doors. Bhu'ja was right behind me, shadowing my foot steps as we left the Matriarch's room together.

"You have one week, ooman! One week!" She called out behind us, her mighty voice echoing brazenly in our wake.

"What have you done…" Bhu'ja muttered behind me as we finally came to a stop in front of our room.

"Have you so little confidence in me?" I frowned, narrowing my eyes up at him. "Have you no faith? Do you not trust me?"

"It is not you whom I don't trust." He hissed, casting a glance over his shoulder.

"Then, know this." I said, reaching up to turn his face back to mine. "I intend to beat this fighter of hers; Kill him if I have to. And have us both home soon. Okay?"

Lifting up onto my toes, I placed a kiss on his cheek before opening the door and stepping through. Bhu'ja stepped though after me and started typing away on his wrist bracelet.

About what? I was not sure.

All I knew was that I had definitely gotten myself into an immense mess. Only this time, there was no one to bail me out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Happy New Years Eve, Gals and Gents! Thank you for reading, and reviewing, and favoriting, and following, and just EVERYTHING. Because of you guys, I might soon finish this avp (Am I the only excited here?!) Don't forget to tell me what you think! I'm loving the feedback, really loving it! Alrighty, here it is-the next chapter!**

 **Enjoyxoxo**

 **Words: kehrite (training hall, Battle arena)**

Love & War 13

 _Imara POV_

So much pain.

It blossomed from every nerve in my body, sweat creating a slick sheen over my skin. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried in vain to control my breathing. With my heart beating like a war drum and my mind swimming from the numbing soreness, I lied there on the mat in silence.

'Get up, Imara. Get up, you cannot quit now.' I thought to myself as I slowly rolled over onto my stomach.

"Up. Now." Bhu'ja growled out, his sharp gold eyes narrowing on me.

I rose up slowly, spitting blood onto the gray practice mat as I got to my feet.

"You did not have to hit me so hard." I grumbled, rubbing my chin with a scowl.

"Well if you had just ducked like I taught you, you would not have gotten hit." He said seriously.

I rolled my eyes at that, their deep honey depths coming up to rest on glimmering gold pits that were filled with mild concern. It was quick though, that soft worrisome look, a serious stare coming in swiftly to replace it.

"Again. Remember what I told you. You are smaller than I am, use that to your advantage." He said softly.

I gave a sole nod and spread my feet apart, balancing my weight equally. Stiffening my spine, I took a deep breath as I watched Bhu'ja from across the mat. I knew how to fight, I knew how to defend myself. I just didn't want to harm him, though after the last few hours of training it seemed we didn't share that concern.

'I will not go easy on you this time.' I thought silently, adding a smirk for effect.

Then I stepped forward, keeping my movements quick and deadly. I kept the jungle snakes from my home planet in my mind, their cunning movements and quick strikes helping my ebb and flow. Jabbing my arm out, I landed a sharp blow to his right side. I frowned when I heard a sharp intake of breath come from him, my brief concern for him evaporated though when I saw his fist sailing through the air toward my head. Quickly ducking, I landed two more quick sharp jabs to his rib cage, a snap followed by a harsh grunt letting me know I broke a rib. I bit my lip anxiously, his stance never wavering even with the injury. I narrowed my eyes and decided to keep moving. Never letting him corner me, I pranced across the mat far from his reach. His movements were smooth I noticed, as he followed after me. Smooth and even, not a limp or even a slight sway could be seen. It was as if he wasn't hurt at all, just completely in his element-which I suppose he was.

I frowned, deciding quickly on another method. If he wasn't feeling the pain of his injury, I would just make sure he did. Rushing him, I grabbed ahold of his arm and used him as leverage to lift myself up onto his broad shoulders. Moving quickly then, I hooked my left leg around the front of his neck and drove my right knee down under his arm landing a punishing blow to his injured side. As soon as my knee made contact, he grunted in visible pain and his solid footing wavered. Tightening my leg's hold on his neck and pressing cruelly into his side, I threw all my weight back. I pulled him so far off balance that he sailed over me as we rolled and landed hard on the mat. The sound of his fall echoed through the empty kehrite, the booming chime all too sweet to my ears.

I lied on the gray mat and smiled up at the metal ceiling triumphantly, Bhu'ja lifting himself up so he could sit beside me.

"You did much better. I will be feeling this for a while." He chuckled, the rumbling chitter-chatter like sound pleasantly filling the air around me.

"Well, you started it." I mumbled, trying to hide my smirk.

"You were not fighting me before. Out of a naive fear of hurting me, I suspect. But, I needed you to fight, so I confess I did provoke you." He admitted with a carefree shrug.

I scoffed, and bumped my arm against his sore side lightly.

"Provoke me again, and see what happens." I glared, my chin throbbing as more words escaped my mouth.

"Come. Dinner will be served soon in the dining hall and we need to bathe. You stink." He grunted, favoring his wounded side as he stretched out his back and got up from the mat.

I scoffed in mock hurt as I looked up at him from my place on the floor, "You stink." I mumbled in retaliation, the curt words hidden under my breath.

Rising to my feet, I stretched out my muscles as well and followed after Bhu'ja. As we left the kehrite, I bit my lip anxiously at the fact that this was in fact the third day of training. It was the third day, but only the first time I had won a fight against Bhu'ja. Though, I had an itching feeling that if he hadn't been injured as he was, that move wouldn't have worked. I put that thought away though when we arrived in front of our assigned room. A few passing yautja stopped to stare curiously at me, their eyes glued to my cheek where his mark was, as Bhu'ja placed his hand against the glowing square. With a blaring roar from him though, a clear warning there for the males to move on, they were quick to continue their walk down the long hall of doors. Somehow I had almost forgotten about the other creatures here on the docking ship. We always ate in our room, never venturing out past that. Bhu'ja also always fixed a kehrite so that only the two of us could enter and exit, how I knew not, so the presence of other yautjas was a seldom and rare sight-surprisingly enough.

"In the dining hall…will there be others there?" I asked as I sat down on the bed of the room we shared together.

"There will be. The dining hall is open to everyone on the ship, as long as they pay before entering." Bhu'ja replied.

"Why have we not gone to the dining hall before?" I asked curiously.

"Fights usually happen there, males like to challenge one another over anything nowadays. Besides, I have you to worry about now. It is easier to just order food in. But, it is also more expensive. So we will be eating with the others tonight." He trilled, before leaving the room.

I followed him with my eyes, tracing the smooth lines of muscle under his multicolored skin as he moved. His broad back was truly a masterpiece in its own right. Biting my lip, I stood up and slowly walked out of the room too. The sound of running water drew me to the bathing room, a warm fog filling the space of the small chamber.

Blinking nervously, I peered into the room. There he was leaning against the edge of a large pond like bowl. I believe he called it a tub, why though I wasn't sure. He dipped his taloned hands in, testing the water's warmth, before grunting and standing up.

"Come, I drew this bath for you." He growled out, his voice rough and deep as he spoke.

"I am sorry for hurting you." I mumbled under my breath, as I stood just inside of the doorway.

The coloring on his side was starting to turn much darker from the growing bruise, and I couldn't help but feel awful about it. Bhu'ja turned to me, his gold eyes shining through the fog of guilt my head was drowning in.

"A true hunter never apologizes, he accepts what is." He replied with a tilt of his head.

I nodded solemnly and dropped my eyes briefly to the marble floor of the bathing room. A true hunter never regretted his actions, he could only accept them and move on. I blinked curiously when I saw him take a step toward me from across the room. I could feel him move closer, his large feet softly padding toward me.

"And yet, I feel the need to apologize as well." He mumbled lowly, his taloned hand coming up to grasp my chin tenderly.

Examining me closely, I remained as still as I could under his heavy gaze.

"To injure such a beautiful face, never again." He purred, rubbing the coarse pad of his thumb across the mark on my cheek.

"I should have ducked, like you said to." I sighed, glancing up at him.

"You should have. Though, you have impressed me today. You fight well, your strikes are quick and harsh-deadly. You fight very well." He smirked, a deep purr building up from somewhere in his broad chest.

"I know." I smirked back cockily, moving then to duck under his arm and walk further into the room.

"Thank you for helping me." I smiled over my shoulder, "With everything."

Bhu'ja watched me for a second, before nodding once and closing the bathing room door.

I calmed my excited nerves, and decided to get into the tub. Pulling the one shoulder of the band like top down, I instantly stiffened when I felt him draw closer to me still.

"Do not look!" I frowned shyly as I looked at him over my shoulder. "Turn around! Look that way, that way!"

He only grunted and continued to watch me. I narrowed my eyes in challenge then, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Either you will turn around, or I will leave." I frowned.

Bhu'ja let out a low hiss, his gold eyes burning a path across my body, before he turned his head to the side. With his intense gaze now directed to the wall, I quickly disrobed and stepped into the water of the large tub.

"Ok, you can look now." I said softly, looking up at him shyly.

Bhu'ja blinked and brought his expressive eyes back to me, their depths all too consuming.

"Will you not get in too? We can share the water." I offered, tilting my head in question.

"I will make you uneasy, and I do not like making you uneasy. So I will bathe after you. Besides, I do not trust myself with you being so close." He said with a slight hiss, his leveled gaze never wavering from me.

"You do not make me uneasy! You could never make me uneasy, it is just…" I bit my lip and dropped my eyes from his, my words stuck in my throat.

He purred deeply from somewhere above me and I slightly registered the sounds of clothes moving and the water pushing and pulling against my body.

"It is just that you are not use to me. Is that it?" he asked from beside me, now fully submerged in the tub.

I blinked and looked up at his face, his mandibles relaxed as he took in deep breathes.

"Yes…In a way. But, it is not just you! Men period, I am not use to them. I was always by myself, and I liked it that way. " I replied shyly with a slight nod.

"Then, the only way to fix this is to get you use to being near me like this." He declared, satisfied with his own resolve.

I frowned at that, but was quick to gasp when I felt myself being picked up and placed in front of him. Bhu'ja looked at me, our eyes pretty much level in the chest deep warm water. Though with him sitting down on the underwater bench and me standing up, I was lost for words. I felt as his taloned hands ghosted across my belly, then around my naked waist and hips before going up under my breasts. Gently cupping me there, I bit my lip and arched my back a bit, pushing more of myself against him.

Then, his hands were gone.

I hadn't even realized that my eyes had closed. Opening them slowly, I watched as he took a bottle of light pink liquid from the edge of the tub. He explained quickly that it was what my species called it soap, and that it was used to clean when bathing. I thought it to be one of the weirdest things but I let him use it on me, running his rough hands over my arms and neck and shoulders. He rubbed the soap into bubbly circles across my belly and waist and hips, taking his time to cover my chest in the slick liquid as well. Turning me around, he rubbed the soap into my back leisurely, tracing the long length of my spine over and over again. My body felt heavy, a strange but deliriously enchanting ache building up inside my lower belly. One I had felt many times over with him. I swallowed down whimpers and moans out of embarrassment as he finished spreading the soap on me. Then we worked together to wash it off, my skin feeling the smoothest it had ever felt before. A nice flower-like scent filled the air around me, from the soap I suppose, and I smiled faintly at it.

When it was his turn I insisted on being the one to rub it in, as he had done to me. I instantly remembered our time in the secret lake, the tiring climb up and our time there together. We had been in similar circumstances then too, except for the fact that now our clothes were somewhere behind us. I rubbed the light pink liquid into my hands, and rubbed in circles across his shoulders, the dark spots never failing to catch my attention no matter how briefly. Working the soap across his chest, I had to bite my lip when eyes dropped too low and I saw that special spot between his legs. Bringing my eyes back up quickly, I felt my face blaze with heat from my embarrassment.

'How could he be so big down there?' I thought worriedly, refusing to glance down again. 'Were all men as big? If so…no wonder Lyza was so quick to comply when Henri gave her that deep intense stare.'

Shaking my head, I cupped water and poured it down his body, washing away the evident exhaustion from today's training. After we were both clean, he helped me out first. It was only after I was outside of the warm water though that I could really feel just how intense of a look Bhu'ja was giving me. Covering the apex of my legs and my breasts as best as I could, I cleared my throat,

"Do you have a cloth I could use to dry off with?" I asked clearly with a confidence that was quickly weaning.

He only jerked his head toward a small stack of dark blue clothes, his eyes watching every step I took there to retrieve one of the towels. After I wrapped it around my body, I turned around to see Bhu'ja standing there.

Completely naked and dripping water on the marble floor.

I nearly choked on my gasp, my untried eyes not knowing what marvelous part of him to visit first. His golden eyes stayed fixed on me until a cocky smirk worked its way across his foreign features. I could only blink as he shook his head with a low growl, his dread-like hair falling over one shoulder before he walked over to the stack of drying cloths and took one to wrap it around his narrow hips. The towel rode low as he strutted from the bathing room, a wet trail of water following him.

I got dressed in a daze, my mind still caught on how close we had gotten. Only a breath away from each other, with not a stich of clothing to separate us. I blushed breathlessly at the memory of his large hands on me, tracing my body and ghosting across my skin. It was amazing and I found myself wanting to experience it again, even if I felt like my heart was going to give out-I had to feel that again.

Whatever that was.

I watched shyly as Bhu'ja put each piece of armor back on, every part polished and shining to perfection. The deep red dress he had bought for me was comfortable against my tall frame. With one shoulder strap and a long flowy type of material, it was simply perfect. I had my knife fastened to my upper thigh, which could be seen given the long split up both sides of the dress. It seemed to warn others from coming to close, which I liked. The dress did fit my curves faultlessly though, the color the most vibrant of scarlets against my warm skin and honey eyes. Bhu'ja had also given me leather sandals to wear, since I haven't had a need for shoes before and therefore had none of my own. They wrapped around my slender ankles and encased my feet nicely. I had decided to put my braids up into an elaborate bun, the scattered bone carved beads and gems on brilliant display.

Even now, as Bhu'ja fastened more holstered weapons to his body, his gold eyes would travel to me, sliding eagerly over my figure with unabashed interest. I could not, for the life of me, keep from blushing with each concentrated stare he send me.

After a bit more waiting, we soon found ourselves at the entrance to the dining hall. Bhu'ja pressed his hand to the glowing blue circle on a small table beside the door, and it blinked a few times before opening up to allow us entry. The room was loud with rows on rows of food covering each table. Other yautjas were everywhere, eating and drinking and conversing with one another. Bhu'ja curled his arm around my waist and pulled me to his side, before leading us to a partially empty table.

I thought for sure that some of them would say things, or stop to stare at us as we ate- but it never happened. We ate in comfortable silence, our eyes doing the talking for us. The food, though foreign to me, was good and filled me up. Even the drinks were good, the one Bhu'ja gave me was all too sweet and smooth, the color a dark blue in its metal cup. Before I knew it, we were walking back to our room. The dining hall wasn't too bad, though I could tell Bhu'ja was right about the fights. Just as we were leaving two males started shoving each other, the force from each shove driving them to bump into other tables and knock drinks over. Before long, one was flung on top of the table, punch after punch contorting his face into something unrecognizable.

It was truly a gruesome sight.

I blinked the memories back as we entered the room, and the door shut securely behind us. I went straight to the bed room and took off the dress and shoes while Bhu'ja stayed in the small living quarters to take off his armor and carefully placed it to be easily put back on when needed. I put on the small skirt and band-like top I usually slept in, and crawled under the furs. Bhu'ja came in soon after, climbing on to the bed and pulling me back against his body, his deep purring trying to lull my restless body to sleep.

I slowly shut my eyes and relaxed against him, my mind drifting to earlier in the bathing room. So many times it seemed, I was the one to get stuck for words-it was becoming a habit when around him.

'I guess that sometimes, words are hard to find.' I thought with a sigh, snuggling deeper into the furs.

Then sleep finally took me.

My dreams filled with training moves and ducking punches.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hey guys and gals! Sorry about the wait! With school starting up again, it has been hard trying to fit in time to write. BUT, I managed! Thank you again for all the follows and reviews and favorites! Tell me what you think of the chapter, this one was harder to write for some reason. Anywho! here you are!**

 **Enjoyxoxo**

 **Words: Halkrath (The warrior's name/ Shadow); Kehrite (Training room, Arena)**

Love & War 14

 _Imara POV_

I use to love the quiet.

The serene feeling that would fill me as I walked alone through the jungle in the early morning, my body always felt so light. My soul never felt freer.

But now, that peaceful feeling was gone.

I mindlessly measured out each step I took down the long silent hall, my sandal covered feet making soft footfalls as I walked. Bhu'ja was behind me, a tall dark hulking presence as always. My week was up, all my training and practicing helping me to keep my nerve. The Matriarch had a special kehrite in mind for the battle. Bhu'ja wouldn't tell me much about it, only that it was vastly bigger than the ones we had practiced in before. I cast the thought aside as loud roars and cheers slowly filled the air, my approach slowing as we neared the doors to the kehrite. I didn't think anyone else would be here to watch us. Frowning, I raised my hand to the glowing square to open the door.

"No matter what you see, no matter what you hear-" Bhu'ja started in a low voice.

I nodded swiftly and stiffened my back defensively as the door slid up.

"It will be fine. I will win and we will be back home soon." I stated, cutting him off slightly in speech.

A low grunt was his reply to that.

Walking in, I felt my eyes grow wider with each step.

Row after row was filled with people. Males and females alike shouted and roared, bumping into each other in their apparent excitement. As we walked forward more people noticed our arrival, the crowd instantly going into an uproar.

"He is to fight her?! Stupid ooman! This will mark your death!"

"Look! She even has the mark, the warrior's mark! What kind of a joke is this?!"

"This will be over quickly. The ooman will not last even a minute in the circle with the Matriarch's choice of warrior."

I gritted my teeth as I ignored the snickering and glares from the alien crowd that surrounded me. My heart beat away wildly in my chest none the less though, the sound so loud I feared others would hear it. Once in the middle of the mat, which formed a circle with the sound of the crowd crackling the air around it, I turned my head to regard the Matriarch.

Her intense blue eyes were trained on me, a mixture of amusement and dark curiosity glimmering in their depths. Turning from her then, I looked behind her proud figure to the tall heavily muscled male shadowing her. Feeling eyes on him no doubt, the male looked up to stare back with blazing yellow eyes. Unlike Bhu'ja, whose eyes were a warm and rich gold, this male's eyes were emotionless and calculating.

And yet, like the snuffed remains of a fire, they burned with the slightest breeze.

The breeze, however, being the whispered words from the Matriarch. I narrowed my eyes on the pair suspiciously.

"What do you think it is that they are talking about?" I asked Bhu'ja in a low voice.

"Probably you." He answered with a low growl, his unease all to obvious.

Moving to stand beside me, Bhu'ja and I both faced the other pair in silence. When they broke apart, the Matriarch turned to the crowd and ordered them to silence themselves.

"My people! Today is a magnificent day, is it not? A truly marvelous day for a battle. Ooman, step forward." She commanded, reaching out a hand to me.

Swallowing quickly, I took careful steps toward her. Before I knew it I was standing beside her tall frame,

"My warrior! Halkrath! Come forward!" She stated, turning to the male.

He stepped up and walked until he was on the other side of the matriarch, stopping only then to gaze out at the crowd of people. They cheered and roared encouraging things to him, mostly things that ended with my utter demise.

A beating sound filled my ears then, as the Matriarch started to talk more. Though I tried in vain to clear my head and listen to what she was saying, the thundering boom only intensified. As the Matriarch turned from the crowd to the both of us, her bright eyes staring me down, I realized then what the booming sound was that beat so profoundly in my ears.

The drums of war.

The rhythmic thumping, one I had heard more times than I could count, were now beating for me. I blinked back tears, my heart suddenly so heavy. I felt so happy though, is if I had my whole tribe at my back to support me. I then looked up at the crowd and imagined my mother and sister and brother sitting there amongst them. Smiling down on me and cheering me on, Enzo making more noise than all of them put together.

I would win.

For my family, for Bhu'ja, I would win this.

"Pick your weapons!" The Matriarch stated loudly.

With the drums still beating away in my head, I nodded stiffly and reached down to the new belt holster Bhu'ja had made for me; my hunting knife laying snuggly against my hip and begging to be chosen.

I grasped the handle tightly in my hand, the blade shining eagerly. I looked around briefly for Bhu'ja, my eyes instantly recognizing the dark coloring of the yautja male as he stood off to the side away from the Matriarch and her guards. Turning back toward Halkrath, who had a sheathed combistick clutched in his massive paws, I squared my shoulders and tightened my grip.

"That's a mighty small knife you have there." Halkrath trilled, as he stalked toward me.

The sound of the drums was intensifying, my breath coming out in small pants as I felt the boisterous noise spread through my body.

"Worry about yourself." I muttered, watching through a slight haze of rampant thumping as the Matriarch held up her hands.

Then, it was quiet. An eerie sinking type of quiet, but quiet all the same.

They had stopped. The drums of war had stopped, signally the beginning of a battle.

"Fight!" She shouted, as one of her hands came down toward us and she stepped back to watch.

I only had time to turn my head before the end of an unsheathed combistick came speeding toward my chin. Ducking down, I quickly rolled out of the way and went into a low crouch with my knife glued inside my clenched fist. Slicing the back of his right leg around his calf, I quickly scurried away from him as he roared in pain. The cut wasn't deep enough though, I noticed, as I circled him. His face was bare, as were his arms and legs. In fact, the only armor on his body was the silver groin cup and the metal plating on his holster belt. I kept that in mind as I crept closer to him, his eyes burning into me angrily.

I ducked again when he took another swing at my head with his combistick, the sharp end whistling in the air as it glided toward me. I jabbed quickly at him with my knife, his thrusting swing creating the perfect opening. I managed to cut him again, this time in the side. Light green blood oozed from the wound, trailing down his waist to his narrow hips.

Jabbing again but missing my mark, I felt my vision swim when his elbow came down to strike the back of my head. Thrown to the ground from my own slack weight, I blinked up at him with watery eyes. With his expanded combistick held up in the air, I watched in utter stillness as he aimed it at my heart. I gasped then, rolling out of the way just as the blade came down to pierce the gray kehrite mat.

Kicking the combistick, I watched in mild relief as it rolled away from the both of us; much to Halkrath's misfortune. He let out a harsh hiss before grabbing me by the neck, lifting me up from the mat with ease only then to stare me in the eye. My feet dangled freely, the air in my lungs burning sharply. I narrowed my watering eyes as he spread his mandibles wide, and roared loudly.

"You are quite the annoyance to kill." He hissed, his breath hot against my face.

"The same could be said of you." I snarled back, "Do not underestimate me."

Lifting my knife then, I stabbed it as far and hard into his arm as I could. His grip on my throat instantly vanished then, his pain filled roar surrounding us both in the circle of the arena. The crowd went crazy then, some even looking as if they wanted to jump onto the mat to end the battle themselves.

"Finish her!"

"She is only an ooman female!"

"End her! Now!"

I ignored the growing anger and mild shock that seemed to waft from the crowd above us. Instead, I watched as Halkrath pulled the knife slowly from his arm, his yellow eyes never faltering from me. Tossing the knife aside, he began to stalk toward me with death clear as day written on his foreign face.

Making a dash for the discarded combistick, I crawled across the mat until I managed to envelope the handle in my hands just as Halkrath's rough paw encircled its way around my ankle. Lifting me once more into the air, only this time I was upside down, I gritted my teeth in frustration at my obvious lack of height. As the blood started to rush from my toes and feet and into my head, I gripped the handle of the weapon tightly and thrust it straight into his side. The new wound was only a few inches from the previous knife wound, only this time it was much more deadly.

Pulling the combistick out, I braced myself as his hold on my ankle was relieved and I came crashing to the ground head first at his blood stained feet.

He hissed and landed two solid kicks to my stomach, even when the rapid movement dealt him just as much pain. Gasping harshly, I greedily drank in large gulps of air as I clutched my stomach in pain. Turning my head, I caught a glance of my knife and quickly tried to make my way to it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Halkrath growled in a low voice from above me.

Kicking me again, so hard this time that I was sure a rib or two had cracked, I groaned as I rolled across the mat from the sheer power of the blow. Once I came to a stop I was surprised to feel my knife poking sharply against my lower back, and I quickly snuck it into my holster.

"You know, I have actually been most curious about you. 'The ooman female with the mark of the Ghost' is what they call you. I have even asked the matriarch about what she has planned for you." He trilled as he sank his taloned hand into my hair and pulled me clear off the floor by it. "You know what her reply was?"

I gritted my teeth in barely concealed agony and clawed aimlessly at his hand, his talons sinking slowly into my scalp with every second.

"She said she did not care what happened to you. In fact, she said she might as well eat you, as crude as it sounds." He chuckled, the sound disturbing and unsettling.

"Personally, I feel it's a waste. By ooman standards… you are quite attractive. Hmm, no wonder he's kept you around. Perhaps… she will let me keep you afterwards…" Halkrath purred, as he pulled me higher into the air with my hair still fisted in his palm. "After all, I think she's taken a liking to that mate of yours."

I glowered at him then. A truly hateful glare that would have made weaker men falter instantly.

The very idea…the two of them…I wouldn't allow it.

"You talk a lot. Too much in fact." I hissed as I reached with one hand down into the holster.

Pulling the knife out, I thrust the blade up under his chin. His yellow eyes widened in shock as the knife slide in further and further. A collective gasp from the crowd filled the room, shock and amazement written on every yautja face.

His hand slowly opened and I dropped to the mat, using all my strength to hold myself up. I watched in silence, spitting out blood onto the mat, as Halkrath sank to his knees before me.

"I will be needing this back." I whispered to him as I yanked the knife out, causing a steady flow of light green blood to slide down his naked chest. Soon, the mat was soaked in the stuff and Halkrath's death was a sure fact. A single loud roar filled the room, one I knew all too well as Bhu'ja, and it lead into a chorus of cheers and roars from the crowd.

They were truly amazed.

I turned then from Halkrath's body to face the Matriarch, her face a mixture of mild irritation and disappointment.

"I believe we have a very important matter to discuss." I said in a low voice, my deep honey eyes narrowing on her blue ones.

Her mandibles widened briefly before she thought on it for a second, then she rolled her eyes and tucked her mandibles back in. Turning from me, she started back toward the entrance of the grand kehrite.

"Yes…I suppose we do." She tossed over her shoulder.

I started to follow, but the pain in my stomach was becoming too much. The kicks from earlier had apparently done more damage than I thought they did. Sucking in a sharp breath and stiffening my spine, I continued to walk behind her with Bhu'ja trailing close behind me.

His taloned hand came up to wrap gently around my waist, "You fought with honor, like a true warrior. I am proud of you, Imara. You even ducked."

I rolled my eyes at his knowing smirk, his golden eyes succeeding in easing some of my pain- but not enough of it. Frowning deeply, I blinked when a few black spots started to appear in my vision.

Then, suddenly I felt my movements falter, my hands clutching at the metal walls desperate for purchase as my vision got darker and darker around the corners.

A loud beeping sound went off then. The sound as urgent as any I had ever heard before.

Bhu'ja cursed, "Imara? Imara! Look at me! Do not close your eyes!"

He muttered something else under his breath that I missed as he held tightly to me and ushered us into a room. I could faintly hear the Matriarch and Bhu'ja talking but I couldn't make any sense of it, the only thing I could truly understand was the noise.

"…tracker…need to return…need help…attacked…her fam-"

I tried to blink away the darkness enclosing around me, but it kept breaking through the barrier to cloud my mind. The words Bhu'ja kept saying swam around my head, surfacing for a second before going back under and becoming lost to me, until finally- I could put them together.

The beeping…it was the tracker.

My family…something happened.

And…that meant…I felt my heart drop so low I feared it'd be lost forever then, just as the darkness consumed me whole.

'My family…What was to become of them…?' I wondered dimly. The incessant beeping, my last memory.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Hey Guys and Gals! Guess who's back with another chapter! Thank you for all the support during this story, we are slowly coming to a close everyone! YAY! Thank you so much as well for following and reviewing and favoriting! I love all of you guys! You have all made writing this fanfic so much fun for me! Anywho, Here we are! Ch. 15!**

 **Enjoyxoxo**

Love & War 15  
 _3rd person POV_

Bhu'ja stared down at his mate, worry steadily freezing his heart's rapid beat. Having ripped the cloth over her stomach open, he instantly frowned at the dark purple bruising and swelling her abdomen had taken on. The metal table of the med dock was covered in medical supplies that the frazzled doctor had placed there not long ago. With the tracker beeping away at his hip, he felt as if he was being torn in two.

Between upholding the honor of his promise to her tribe and staying with his mate in her unstable condition, the answer was simple and yet too difficult to bear.

The matriarch watched from the corner of the room, her blue eyes narrowing down on the ooman female who it seemed even in an unconscious sleep called for the warrior's unwavering attention. Slight jealousy mixed with a miffed sense of hurt burned through her as she crossed her arms over her ample chest, muttering unsightly things under her breath as the doctor scurried back in. Lowering his head quickly to each of them out of respect, the doctor then turned to his patient.

"Internal bleeding is causing the swelling in her abdomen. She also has about four broken ribs. Unfortunately, a piece of one has punctured her right lung. Now the rip is small considering her breathing isn't too erratic yet, but we need to operate immediately. I will need to ask you to leave the room, great hunter." The doctor said grimly, bowing once more to Bhu'ja.

"I will not leave her side." Bhu'ja hissed, narrowing his eyes on the doctor as he flared his mandibles aggressively.

"We can handle this, great warrior." The doctor said as a small female yautja came into the room with operating tools and cleansing chemicals to prevent infection.

"No." Bhu'ja growled lowly, stepping closer to Imara.

The doctor, growing both worried about his patient and frustrated with the stubborn warrior, decided to start with hooking her up to heart monitors and IVs. Her heartbeat was faint as was her breathing, the up and down movements of her chest starting to slow. Then, a line of deep red blood crept up and out from the corner of her mouth. She awoke for a second to gasp and spit up blood before fainting once more.

"Blood is flooding her lungs! We need to operate! Great warrior, if you care at all for the ooman- you will leave us to do our job! Look at her, she is dying!" The doctor yelled, mandibles flared a bit in annoyance.

"Pity that." The matriarch purred as she tilted her head at the pair in amusement.

Bhu'ja, gazing down at his unconscious mate, finally relented. Turning swiftly, he glared down at the shorter yautja male.

"She better live." He stated, and then he was gone from the room.

The matriarch slowly rose from her spot then and left without a word, the door to the med bay sliding shut behind her.

Bhu'ja walked steadily toward his docked ship, imputing the coordinates from the tracker into his navigation system through his wrist device as he headed toward the ship's entrance.

"Where do you think you're going?" The Matriarch said loudly with her hands on her wide hips.

Bhu'ja turned to face her with a blatant scowl on his face.  
"Earth." Being his only reply.

"I did not give you clearance to leave, hunter." She said in a low voice, her eyes sharp.

"This is true...but I have to go back." Bhu'ja sighed harshly, looking up for only a second to stare at the Matriarch with eyes begging her to understand and allow it.

"I will let you go...if you tell me why. Why you so obsessed with that ooman! You call her mate but I can tell you have not claimed her...perhaps she has refused you and you cannot bear the shame of letting her get away. " She chuckled, raising a spiked eyebrow in challenge.

"My relationship with my mate has little to do with you, Matriarch." Bhu'ja stated in a firm but low voice.

"If you would simply tell me why, perhaps I could find it in myself to allow you leave." The Matriarch purred, stepping closer to the only yautja who ever dared to face her head on, a quality she dearly admired in a male.

"I have nothing to say. You saw yourself her courage and strength of will in the kehrite." Bhu'ja replied evenly if not proudly, the very memories of her lithe figure wielding her weapon so gracefully causing generous flutters in his gut to arise and settle in repetition.

"Yes, but she was hurt! And may soon die from her injuries! She was a fool to tempt fate so." The Matriarch scoffed with a roll of her blue eyes.

"She was brave! She knew the danger, the risk. But, she chose to fight anyway! My mate is no fool." Bhu'ja paused with eyes burning brightly as more memories flooded his mind. "She is different. Braver than other oomans, fiercely loyal to those she loves, and she's curious of the world...And yes I have not claimed her yet. But...I will wait as long as it takes." Bhu'ja said truthfully, turning then to board his ship with a shocked matriarch standing in his wake.

She watched as his ship lifted up into the air, the engine loud and fierce as it carried its master away from the docking ship.

"I thought I'd never see the day…" the Matriarch said softly, bringing her eyes down to rest on her silk skirt.

Walking back then, she found herself in front of the medical bay. With the door shut before her, she rested her head against the cold metal as her heart slowly ached, mourning its loss.

'He truly loves her.' She thought silently as she trailed her sharp talons upon the metal door aimlessly. 'He loves that ooman female.'

The door suddenly slid up and the matriarch stepped back quickly as the doctor and his nurse came out with blood stained hands. Though the sight was gruesome, their faces were anything but.

"She will live. We stitched her up and drained the excess blood so the swelling has gone down tremendously. We also sprayed some sealant to accelerate the healing process. She is sleeping now…uhm I hate to bother you my Matriarch but where is her mate? I would have thought he'd-"

"He is gone." The matriarch said plainly, her eyes trained on the weak ooman laying on the small bed beside the metal table.

"G-gone? To where if I may ask?" the doctor inquired with a confused expression curling his features.

"Earth." She replied in a short tone of voice.

Stepping into the room, the Matriarch slowly stepped toward the bed. Looking down, she observed the ooman female at her leisure. Her dark skin and long limbs, her hair that so closely mimicked their own, even the way she frowned so deeply in her sleep. Her eyes, a pretty sweet color if the Matriarch remembered rightly, fluttered open for a moment before shutting themselves promptly.

"Bhu'ja…" came from her lips, the name but a whisper in the quiet room.

"He has left, ooman. Left to fight in a war that is not his own. A war he should have had no part in to begin with." The Matriarch replied with a harsh sigh, rubbing her temples to relieve some of the stress the whole ordeal was putting on her.

The words the Matriarch spoke seemed to reach Imara in her sleep and brought her back from her comatose state. She turned her head from one side to the other as her eyes adjusted to the light of the room. The Matriarch stepped even closer then, making sure the ooman knew of her presence in the chamber.

"Listen well ooman…for I will not say it again." The Matriarch said firmly.

Imara looked up then, and attempted to sit up. A slight pain arose from her efforts though, prompting her to lie back down on the bed. Her eyes, however, were trained on the Matriarch as she stared her down.

"He may return to earth. I will allow it…But… you must complete the mating. Only then will he have official clearance to stay. And only then will you both truly be safe from the laws of our people, for you know not how serious of an offense trespassing is on a planet is; it is dishonorable." The Matriarch said firmly.

Imara slowly nodded and instantly felt a weight lift from her, a feeling so freeing it quickly overcame her.

"I understand, Matriarch. So, it is true? Really? H-he can stay? R-really?" She asked, tears pooling in her eyes from the happiness that overflowed her heart.

The Matriarch nodded once, watching in mild amusement as the ooman female smiled at her, a true genuine smile. Attempting once more to get up, Imara heaved herself from the bed. Her newfound joy helping to strengthen her body and maintain her balance, Imara stretched out her sore body with relished delight.

The Matriarch turned from her then, heading to the door with steady yet haltering steps.

"Wait! A-about the mating…" Imara said quickly, her tongue growing thick in her mouth from her embarrassment.

"What about it?" the Matriarch asked, turning half way to partly face the blushing ooman before her.

"How did you know we had not completed it yet?" Imara asked with true curiosity burning in her deep honey eyes.

"Because, if you had you would not have gotten hurt like this. When we mate with other species and deliver a bite, some of our traits 'rub off on them' so to speak. Increased healing, elongated life span, and strength- just to name a few. These are all to help aid the possibility of healthy pups." The Matriarch stated.

Imara slowly brought her eyes down to her hands, thinking over what the matriarch had just told her. Elongated life span? Increased healing? Pups?

It was so much to take in.

"Where is Bhu'ja? Why isn't he here?" Imara asked then, noticing that the room was empty of his hulking presence.

"He has returned to earth." The Matriarch said.

Imara frowned, and stared up the larger female. "Why?" She asked quickly.

"You know why." The matriarch uttered in a low voice.

"The tracker…W-We must go! We must get back! He is there but they need me as well! We must go back!" Imara exclaimed in a panic, her hands grabbing up her blood stained skirt and top before she rushed from the room.

The Matriarch, against her better judgement, decided to follow the ooman female. Though mostly out of curiosity, the ooman seemed to think that she could find a way off of the ship on her own; unfortunately she was madly mistaken.

Imara fled from the med bay in a flurry of dread, her loose braids swaying with each hurried step she took toward the huge dock they had settled their own ship in as many others had done.

"It is gone…He really left…" Imara said softly as she stared in horror at the spot their ship had once been. Stretching her hand out, she felt her heart drop when she confirmed that the ship really was gone and not just unseen to her eyes as it had been before.

"We have to get to earth, w-we have to help him. This was never meant to be his fight! He shouldn't have left! He-he should've waited for me." Imara muttered as she dropped her eyes to the metal floor, frantically thinking of another way to get back to her home.

The Matriarch stared long and hard at the ooman female, a mate who Bhu'ja loved dearly, and sighed softly. Her resentment toward the small female was quickly dissolving away, shedding layer after layer with every spoken word the ooman made.

"Come, Ooman." She said as she lifted her sleeve to reveal her wrist gantlet, the red symbols soon appearing as she typed away on it and a small ship slowly lifted from its holster. The pair walked to the ship and boarded it, the Matriarch taking a moment to send for another clan's Matriarch to watch over the docking ship in her stead.

Soon after that, they were in the air and soaring at top speed to the docking ship's exit way. Imara could barely keep the smile off of her face just as the Matriarch was trying her best to keep her own mournful feelings at bay.

This was the honorable thing to do.

"Matriarch, if you do not mind, what may I call you?" Imara asked softly from beside her at the control center.

"Do not mistake my generosity, ooman. I am not doing this for you." The matriarch uttered as she watched comets and stardust twinkle past them outside of the ship.

"I know…But still, if we are to ride together then we should at least know the names of one another." Imara replied evenly.

The Matriarch stared down at the ooman female for the longest time, watching her features carefully for any hint of deceit or mischief.

And yet- all she found there was a wide eyed sort of curiosity and mild worry for her mate.

"I am Imara to those who know of me." Imara said, beaming briefly up at the larger female before dropping her smile to the blinking controls before her.

'She must really despise me.' She thought sadly, the larger female still mute on her reply.

As they came closer and closer to their destination, Imara could finally make out the small glowing globe that was earth. A fuzzy haze encircled the planet so gently, a mother toward her child never had a more delicate touch.

"I am Nay'ja." The Matriarch muttered in a low voice, half hoping Imara had not heard her.

Imara merely smiled at the glass window, Earth growing bigger and fuller the closer they drew to it.

"You have a beautiful name." Imara said, never taking her eyes from the window before her.

Nay'ja grunted and crossed her arms over her ample chest, cocking her wide hip to one side.

"I know." She smirked, her mandible moving to emphasis just how arrogant her statement was meant to be.

They both settled then into a comfortable but quiet hush as Nay'ja steered the ship into Earth's atmosphere and landed soundly.

Both of their thoughts on Bhu'ja and where he currently was, Nay'ja gave Imara a holster to wear as well as a sharp throwing knife that looked a lot like her dagger. With both of them suited up, they left the ship and set out, the sun setting above them. Imara tried to keep her anxious thoughts at bay, she knew he could handle himself, but she still silently wondered weither he was well or not. About If he was with her family or not.

And if he was alive or not.

With the sun going down at a rapid pace, they were losing time and that was something they simply couldn't afford. Imara wasn't exactly sure about what was going on, but if Henri pushed the button, then it had to be something truly horrid.


	16. Chapter 16 (Final)

**Author's Note: Hello ladies and gents! We have reached the ending of Imara's story (Or more like the beginning?) Thank you for all the favorites and follows and reviews through out this story. Tell me how you liked the story as a whole and if I should do an epilogue! This chapter took FOREVER to finish but here it is.**

 **Enjoyxoxo**

Love and War (Final) 16

3rd Person POV

Imara could only stare in silence at Nay'ja as she walked back to her ship. They had not taken but a few steps away from it when the Matriarch got a message from another Matriarch saying that she was to return to her post immediately. The moist air stirred around her as the ship lifted up into the air and was soon gone from her sight. Looking down, Imara slowly backed away from the clearing. Turning then, she headed to the thick jungle with its tall looping trees and heavy brush.

Reaching up, she started to climb, the action so natural to her it was as if she had never left. The feel of rough wood under her palms and the sight of such tall moss covered trees surrounding her made her smile faintly, the memories that came were as fond as ever. As she leapt from tree to tree, her skirt gliding in the wind behind her, her eyes soon beheld her village.

Or what was left of it.

Dropping down to the soft earth, Imara held her breath in horror as she looked out at the village. The some of the huts had been burned down, scorched earth blowing in the fading wind that whistled through the remains of her birthplace. Her footsteps faltered as she crept closer, crouching low in search of a threat of some kind. But she heard none. No threat, nor foe, nor friend.

Imara couldn't hear anything.

As she stood up straight, she took out the small dagger from her waist holster.

"Henri!" She called out, her voice getting lost in the silence.

"Lyza! Enzo!" She cried, desperate for an answer.

"Mother…" Imara tightened her grip on the knife's handle as she looked around suspiciously at every dark corner, the silence stretching on still.

She started to run then, her footfalls padding heavily in the dry dust as she approached her family's hut. Half of the roof had been burned, black scorch marks searing through the green leafy color of the roof's foundation. The beds had been disturbed, the chairs thrown and the blankets torn to ribbons. And yet food sat untouched on the table, served up on her mother's favorite plates.

Had they been snatched from the table? Not even a bite to be taken to try and fill their bellies. Then perhaps they struggled as they were being pulled away. The mere thought of it had Imara blinking back tears.

"Someone! Please! Answer me!" Imara called out once more as she stumbled out of her home.

Her heart felt heavy as she walked further into the village, the smoke growing thicker around her as she went. Hearing a quick _bang_ off to her right, Imara could only run toward it frantically.

'It is them…It has to be them…' She thought as she ran toward the sharp sound.

Another _bang_ had her sprinting toward the left then, her body zipping between the huts as she searched for any sign of life. As she rounded a corner, she was suddenly grabbed from behind.

"Look what we got here! Hey! Finally found one of them!" Her captor yelled, the sound of his voice making her blood run cold.

Imara instantly threw her head back into the man's nose, busting it past recognition. He uttered a sharp curse as he let her go to clutch his face, scarlet blood dripping down over his lips and chin. The man licked the blood away and sneered at her as she stepped away from him but was quickly reeled back in. He lunged at her and tightly wrapped his arm around her throat, stilling her struggling for the moment as breathing became harder to do.

The distant sounds of footsteps could be heard, along with boisterous laughter and the click of metal guns hitting metal studded holsters.

'It has to be the settler's.' Imara thought, astonished.

But, where was Bhu'ja? And…where was her family?

As two more men approached them, Imara instantly started to struggle more vigorously. Though her newly healed injuries hindered her slightly, she didn't have much of a choice.

"Stop squirming, you little savage! Or I'll end your life here and now! Got that?" Her captor snarled, pulling a knife out to stick it under her chin threateningly.

Imara didn't quite understand what he was saying, but she got the main message. Stilling her struggling, she let the settler's pull her into the center of her village where they had a small camp set up. They had completely destroyed the chairs and benches that her people used to sit on when they communed together and talked as one. Instead, they had laid out cloths made from the hides of short haired animals, ones she had personally never seen before. They shoved her to the ground then and one secured her hands behind her back as another ran off in search of their leader.

Imara gritted her teeth in pain as the one behind her yanked her head back, his fingers wound tightly in her hair in his attempt to subdue her. Just as she was about to snarl at him, a tall older man came out from behind some huts.

The very air around him called for complete and utter obedience.

That, however, wasn't the reason Imara couldn't take her eyes off of him. No. It was the fact that he wore the sacred beaded crown that belonged to her tribe's shaman. The band of beads and jewels was a gift from the elders of other neighboring tribes, given to their shaman as a sign of peace. It was an item that her tribe deemed most vital, a true key and symbol of their time on the land of their ancestors, they'd sooner start a war over it if it were to be stolen or worse.

And this stranger, this invader, was wearing it.

Imara wanted to rip the stranger's head off, along with the beaded crown.

"You boys did well, you finally caught one." The leader said with a tired sigh, his eyes tracing the dark planes of Imara's face curiously. "But we need all of them. We cannot have any of them running around."

"What'll happen to the others anyway?" Another man asked, his voice surprisingly soft in the silence of the twilight.

"They'll probably be sold, just like the others. And before you say it…No! We can't just put them back! Not after we drain this land dry. There'll be nothing to go back to." A man off to the side answered casually, using his knife to pick at his fingernails as he blinked up at his comrades.

"Enough about business! I'm more curious about this little thing you found wondering around." Miguel leered, peering closely at her then.

"She's a feisty one too, Miguel." The one behind her said as he pulled on her hair sharply.

"We'll see how feisty she is after I'm done with her." The leader, Miguel, scoffed as he reached for her.

Just as Imara was about to make a last ditch attempt at an escape and yank her wrists free from his tight grasp, his hands disappeared from her all together. A _thud_ sound resonated behind her as she watched in shock as the other men before her in the clearing all fell to their knees-dead. The leader swiftly turned from one way to the other, looking around him as fear consumed his every thought.

Loud cries of anger came from the darkness around them, with the sun now set and the fire their only light. Then, a sleek wooden arrow came bursting from his forehead, the sharp tip glimmering vaguely in the fire's glow.

A tall man came from the darkness of the jungle, his long braid swinging and swaying as he walked. Placing his bare foot on Miguel's head, the man grunted as he pulled the arrow from his skull.

"He said you would come back." The man sighed, kneeling down so their faces were close together.

Imara felt tears drip down her cheeks as she instantly launched herself at the man.

"Henri!" She cried as she clung to him, relief flooding her nerves like the sweetest elixir.

"Hello, little sister." He chuckled, patting her back as he pulled her away from the death that surrounded the bright fire.

"We have to go." Henri said then, pulling her further out from the huts of their village.

"Why? We-we cannot just leave! Where is everyone else? Are they alive? Are we going to them now?" Imara asked frantically, keeping up as best as she could with his fast pace.

"I was out hunting with a few others when our hunting group came across a settler camp. We must have surprised them…we were attacked, it was so quick. I pressed the button on that device you gave me, and fought off as many of them as I could. Then those of us who still lived ran back to warn the village. Before they managed to came, he was there. He got us out. Said you would be here soon." Henri said from ahead of her, practically dragging her now in his haste. "Though he appeared like a spirit, his voice the only thing that lead us to believe he was there, we followed all the same. He kept a look out as we collected what we needed and made our escape."

Imara frowned deeply at that, staring up at the back of her brother-in-law's head with thoughtful yet confused eyes. _He_ had been there? _He_ had got them out? _He_ who? She had a guess, but her heartbeat leapt happily at the very idea.

"H-henri, you are not making any sense. He who?" She said as she mimicked Henri's movements, jumping over a fallen branch and ducking under another one.

Henri was quiet, looking over his shoulder at his little sister. She looked the same, if not more tired.

"The guardian." He said as he slowed down to a slow walk.

Imara's eyes widened with mild concern as she looked up at Henri, who was avoiding eye contact.

"Y-you spoke with him? With the guardian? He talked to you?" Imara asked, cringing internally as her voice elevated to match her distress. She had been right in her assumption.

Henri nodded slowly, coming to a full stop to turn and face her.

"You never should have left. You should have told us, me! To involve such a-a being." Henri exclaimed loudly.

"Tell you? Tell you what! That I had gotten a-a creature involved in our world, in our war? That I put his life on the line for all of ours? That I put my life on the line? That I-I had to leave with him to save all of us? How could I! We needed him! I-I needed him." Imara replied back harshly, wiping at her eyes angrily.

Henri took a step toward her, his hands out as a sign that he wouldn't hurt her and to calm down.

"We would have managed…somehow." He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"We both know we wouldn't have survived, not without him. I-I had to. I am sorry, brother." Imara said softly, bowing her head in sorrow as her actions came pouring down on her head.

Henri tilted his head as he looked at his sister, a solitary tear dripping down her cheek.

"He is as much a foreigner as the settlers are! You never should have involved him. Though…I will admit that he has saved us, numerous times. He is a hero to the tribe, a guardian, and a spirit. He came to me alone to talk, to explain things." Henri started, his face covered in a thoughtful expression. "He told me that he wishes to stay here, with us. Among us. But, he said that he could only stay if he was allowed to be with you. He has chosen you as his wife, Imara."

Imara could only stare, not even shock was evident on her face. She knew he wanted to be her mate, knew he desired her, but that he would tell her family? Her brother? She blinked and looked into her brother's eyes, no words escaping her full lips.

"Is this what you wish, my sister?" Henri asked softly.

Imara smiled faintly, nodding slowly as her deep honey eyes sparkled at the idea of being bonded with Bhu'ja.

"It is." She said, watching the different emotions as they played over Henri's face.

"Very well."

Then, Imara felt the wind leave her lungs as an arm wrapped around her middle and she was lifted up into the trees.

"Take care of her! Please!" Henri called out, his voice fading as she was pulled higher and higher up.

The moon came into view as she was carefully placed onto a tree branch. She easily balanced herself on the branch, her eyes finding the overly familiar hulking outline of the being who had changed her life from the moment she met him.

"Hello." She said softly, moving her hand in an arch above her head.

Bhu'ja uncloaked and trilled lowly, uttering out a "hello."

"You talked to my brother. And my elders." Imara frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the tree's thick moss covered trunk.

"I read that ooman males talk to the caregiver of the female before finalizing a mating. I thought it would make you more comfortable." He purred, stalking toward her.

"He knows about you now. I'm not sure if I'm happy about that or not." She sighed, looking up at his metal mask.

He purred louder and reached out to touch her cheek, "It is a good thing, I assure you."

Imara felt her face grow hot as she stared up at him.

"I am so relieved you are okay, do not ever scare me like that again!" Bhu'ja finally said, the words trying to break through since he saw her and her caregiver talking under the tree he had decided to use as a lookout sight for her. Bhu'ja pulled her to his body and hugged her gently, careful of her ribs and stomach area.

"I'm fine. The doctor did a very good job." Imara smiled, burying her face against his chest.

"I had a feeling he would." Bhu'ja trilled against her hair.

He let go of her then to pull off his mask, his mandibles spreading out in a stretch before he folded them back against his face.

"I suppose you heard my brother and I talking." Imara asked, her face still buried against his chest and her arms wrapped around his lean waist.

"I did." He purred, the sound vibrating through her body. "You will accept me as you mate?"

Imara bit her lip nervously, before releasing the tender flesh to pull her face away and nod up at him. Bhu'ja trilled and purred, pushing her up against the tree as he pressed his face against her neck. Her strong female scent drove him crazy, the region below his waist growing uncomfortably tight as he heard her rapid heartbeat. Her soft lips landed on his chin, his chest, his shoulder- he purred louder as his own scent came out to mingle with hers.

"Be gentle." Imara said as she pressed closer to him.

Bhu'ja nodded vaguely as he pushed his knee between her legs, rubbing it against the apex of her legs. She let out a started breath before it faded into a moan that had him picking her up and pressing his covered groin against hers. Bhu'ja pressed her harder into the tree as one of his hands moved to lift up her skirt and pull off her loincloth. The scrap of cloth was discarded, the night wind pushing it back and forth as it floated to the ground. Then he quickly took off any armor or clothes that would hinder him in taking her. Imara shyly pulled off her top, her body overheated from what was happening to it. She was determined though to see this through, she wanted him-that was all that mattered.

Bhu'ja stared hungrily at her, his head going down to take a second and lavish love on her full breasts. Imara arched her back, her bottom lip sore now from all the biting she had done. Bhu'ja licked a trail up her stretched out neck to her ear.

"Brace yourself." He whispered with a husky purr.

Then he was inside her. The movement was so quick, her body felt like it was in shock from the intrusion. He kept himself still, her body wrapped tightly around his. Imara blinked back tears as she slowly got use to the feeling of being filled so fully. Bhu'ja looked down at her, their eyes meeting as they stared at each other in an intense awe. He pulled her closer to him with a slight grunt, moving slowly in a vain attempt to be gentle. As he moved, Imara slowly followed him. They moved together as one then, no end or beginning to their joined bodies. With the scent of blood in the air and Imara moaning and moving under him, Bhu'ja found it hard to focus on not being too rough with her. He pushed deeper into her, his groin tightening as his mandibles spread out. He bent his head down to lick a spot on her shoulder, his thrusts growing faster and deeper until he saw spots in his vision. He bit down hard on her shoulder, Imara's cry of release ringing in his ears as he flooded her body with his seed. He held her close, licking away the blood from the bite. The bite soon healed after that, a good sign that it worked. A scar was left in its place, a mark to all other males that this female was claimed already.

Bhu'ja looked down at the scar with a possessive purr, his body slowly uncoiling from hers.

"Was I too rough?" He asked, helping to hold her up when he sees her knees shake a bit.

"No. no, I'm fine." Imara smiled, looking for her skirt and top.

Somehow they managed to land on a branch under them. Imara looked from them to him and then back to her clothes.

"Please." She said softly, covering herself shyly with her hands.

"I don't know, this look suits you far better." Bhu'ja smirked, his naked body shining in the moonlight from the light sheen of sweat.

"Bhu'ja." She glared.

He sighed, turning from her to jump down to the branch under them and retrieve her clothes. AS he climbed back up, he let his eyes drink in the naked female before him. She was simply beautiful, just looking at her made him want to take her again. He let out a soft purr as he handed back her clothes.

She blinked up at him, his gold eyes caressing every inch of her as she slipped her skirt back over her wide hips and pulled her top back on to cover the love bites he had made on her chest.

"We are mates now." Bhu'ja purred, reaching out to grab her hips and pull her toward him.

"We are." Imara replied, kissing his chest softly.

"Your family has been looking for you, they are worried." He said after a moment of silence had stretched on between them.

Imara nodded and smiled up at him, "I'll race you down."

Bhu'ja raised up a spiked brown, his eyes glowing with the aspect of a challenge with her.

"What do I get once I win?" He asked, his deep voice making shivers go up Imara's spine.

"You haven't won yet." She scoffed, trailing a slender finger down the center of his chest.

Then she leapt from her branch. One after the other, she jumped from branch to branch with her mate far behind her. Bhu'ja took his mask from his waist and his groin cap from his holster, placing both back in their appropriate places before he jumped from his current tree to a whole different tree.

When Imara's feet hit the ground she grinned and crossed her arms over her chest. A second later, Bhu'ja landed with a sharp thud. His mate just smiled up at him, her deep honey eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Looks like I won." She said casually.

"You cheated." Bhu'ja said as he walked up to her.

"Did not." Imara scoffed, holding her hand to her chest in mock offense.

He only trilled at her, amused as she blinked innocently up at his masked face.

"Come." Bhu'ja said as he walked through some heavy brush off to the right of them.

Imara followed curiously, her eyes watching as the muscles in his broad back rolled and bunched under his rough skin. Her face flooded with her blush at the memory of their joining, her skin still tingling from it. Her hips though still felt a bit sore but she refused to appear weak in front of him, not after everything.

As she continued walking, Bhu'ja activated his cloaking device.

"Imara!" said a small voice from off in the distance.

Imara felt her eyes widen as Enzo came running toward her from up ahead. She smiled widely and held her arms open for him to fall into, which he did. His tears wet her shoulder as he cried and sobbed about how much he had missed her and how mad he was that she had left.

"I'm sorry, little one. Truly I am." Imara said softly, rocking him back and forth in her arms till he calmed down. His small arms clung to her as he told her where the others were and they walked back together.

Imara's mother ran up to her, followed by Lyza and Henri. She stared at Henri, his eyes showing nothing but relief as they fell upon her.

"I am glad you have come back." Henri said softly, pulling his son off of her hip.

Lyza pulled her into a tight hug and smiled against her neck, Imara's own hand patting her back softly. Her mother only stood there, looking at her from afar.

Imara slowly let go of her sister and approached her mother. As she stepped closer and opened her mouth to speak, a sharp sting spread across her cheek as well as a loud ringing in her ears that ebbed and faded. Imara could only stare in sadness at her, her mother's face dark with anger.

"Where were you? Do you care nothing for us? For your family? To put us through that! I did not know what to think! I-I feared…I feared the worst." She grimaced, her voice cracking in her grief.

Then she took Imara and hugged her tightly to her shorter body.

"Don't you ever do that again! I don't care if the guardian himself tries to pull you away, you better tell me you are leaving first!" She glared through watery eyes.

Imara smiled and hugged her back, "I am sorry, mother." She said softly.

"You better be." Her mother muttered.

Pulling away from her, Imara looked to Henri who was looking behind her with worried eyes.

She grimaced as she could practically feel Bhu'ja breathing down her neck in anger over the slap her mother dealt her, but what could she do? She felt she rightly deserved it.

"The elders have important news, they want to call a meeting. It is about you Imara." Henri said suddenly.

Imara frowned and tilted her head in question at him but he only shook his head and ushered them all into the clearing of the temporary village they had set up for themselves. Everyone from the tribe was there, summing up to over a hundred or so in all. The three older men with tall feathered hats and heavy beaded necklaces and their shaman who had many marking covering his weathered body, the four of them together made up their elders, were in front of the simmering crowd. As soon as they saw Imara, they called for immediate silence.

"We have spoken with the guardian!" One of them yelled loudly after a moment of silence. "He has saved us and aided us and now…he wants a sacrifice! The girl he has chosen, he has marked with a symbol-here!" Another replied as he touched his cheek, the crowd talking and whispering amongst themselves. "Upon her cheek is the mark that binds them together! Imara, he has chosen you."

A collective gasp chills the air in the clearing. The eyes of everyone, even her family, were on her in variations of mild awe and shock.

"The guardian says he has given you a gift. And, he wants for you to be the guardianess of our people. To watch over us at his side. He will stay here if you join him." The shaman said, his deep soulful eyes watching Imara curiously. "Will you agree?"

She looked at everyone, all the families there, all the children, all the mothers and fathers, all the elders, and then she looked at her family. They looked up at her with smiling faces, and she knew in her heart it was her place to say yes. Though, a sacrifice in deed it was.

Before, Imara never would've wanted to have anything to do with the mundane day to day life of village work. She would've preferred to just be away from it all, her view from the treetops of the outside world filling many of her daydreams. And yet, when Imara got her chance to go away, to travel from her world to another, all she could think about was her family.

And leaving them there alone.

It may not have started out that way, but Imara knew now where I was meant to be. Guarding her family, this tribe, with her mate by her side.

Maybe later, after the war was over, she would be free to go away for a while.

Explore and learn new things about worlds she never knew existed.

But…only after Imara knew they were safe. Truly safe.

Straightening her back, Imara looked at the elders and then answered,

"I agree."

A loud roar sounded off through the clearing causing everyone to cheer. A small smile grew across her face, as she watched the sun start to peek over the horizon signaling a new day.

A new day, a new battle.


	17. Chapter 17 (Epilogue)

**Hey guys and gals! IT IS FINALLY HERE! _The epilogue to Love & War! I kept going back and forth about what to do for the epilogue and weither i should write one at all...obviously we see what happened out of that. I hope everyone enjoys it, it was an interesting bit to write. Thank you for all the views and favorites and follows, I really appreciate it! As always, don't forget to comment! Which name do you like better? Team boy or team girl? Either one, i'm sure they'll be happy xD I absolutely loved writing this story and having you guys along for the ride made it all the more enjoyable!_**

 **Epilogue**

Amara POV

{Two years later}

My heart hurt.

My body ached. Every muscle tightened with sobs that tore through me like arrows through the petal of a flower. The fire burst and crackled before me, the white ritual paint on my cheeks streaking as tears broke through their intricate designs. Looking around me, my people mourned.

Some mourned with me, truly in sorrow. Others simply mourned because I mourned.

Lyza held her son close, his face buried against her skirt. Henri stood beside them, his face stern but his eyes held a deep sorrow. My mother laid on her back before us, her best robes caressing her dark skin. We fixed her hair in a long braid and settled it against her chest, a chest that no longer moved with her every breath.

The fire burned, surrounding her and soon welcoming her into its depths, the last preparations for her funeral having been completed. We could only watch now, as the flame and smoke carried her spirit with it up to the heavens. Her body returning to the earth, to grow and breathe again through the trees and plants.

As was the cycle all life went through.

A low humming purr rose from the sobs of the people, the sound trying in vain to lift away the sadness that hung low over our heads. My heart leap a bit in my chest as I felt the faintest brush against my cheek. I smiled a teary smile at Bhu'ja and his small attempts to comfort me, to comfort all of us. I looked from the all-consuming fire with its bright ember gaze, down to my belly where the smallest of bumps could be seen.

'She'll never get to see the baby.' The realization of that thought hit me suddenly, the blow a deep one.

My mother had went in her sleep. A quiet, gentle passing. No one knew why, not even my husband with all his advancements and knowledge. Lyza had held me that same night and whispered,

"She was growing weak with age though she hated to admit it. She held on because she felt we needed her, and we did. She was tired though, my beloved sister, so very tired."

I had only cried harder and shook my head, "But we still need her! W-we need her, I need her. Lyza, s-she can't just leave!"

"But she has, my love. She felt it was time, she was ready. We have the guardian now for protection and we have you," she said softly, lifting my face to stare into my eyes. "It is the circle completed, let her rest."

"But-I," My voice cracking, as I stuttered out another vain excuse.

"Let her go, my beloved. Let her go." Lyza had whispered instead, effectively silencing me.

I stroked my belly softly, the life inside already fluttering and making itself known. As the fire died down and the ashes lay bare, we scooped them up into clay jars and carried them into the jungle. There we spread the ashes out on the earth, returning what was given back to the giver.

Slowly we walked back into the new village we had built a year and a half earlier. The village was well hidden now, with lookout areas and a better perimeter. I stayed behind, watching the bowed backs of my people as they walked back to their homes. Their faces were saddened now, but like me time would ease the slight sting that death always gave.

When everyone was safely in the perimeter, I started walking out into the denser part of the jungle. It didn't take long for my mate to reveal himself and the fact that he had been following me. His mask covered face tilted to the side as he purred slightly in curiosity and sympathy.

I walked to him and watched as he leapt from the low branch he had leisurely been crouched on. His movements were as silent as ever, the air around him brushing his broad chest as he slowly came toward me. Soon we were nearly a breath away from one another, his upper chest meeting my eyes. He dropped to his knees before me and brought up a hand to gently stroke the small bump. He then took off his mask and pressed his face to my belly, his breath warm and tingly against my skin. He purred and trilled to the baby, his golden eyes aglow with pride and love and a slight smug amusement as they took me in.

"Do you hear your son?" I said softly, stroking his shoulder lightly.

He cackled and purred some more, staring up at me, "Tis a girl, my love."

I raised an eyebrow and scoffed lightly, "I know my child, and he is a strong son. Like his father."

"My daughter would beg to differ." He muttered, rubbing the crown of his head against my belly.

I laughed, a true real laugh that lightened my heavy heart a bit. Shaking my head at him, I watched as he traced lazy symbols across my abdomen. After he finished and once again got to his feet, he took me by the hand and led me through the dense brush. We soon found ourselves at the very cluster of trees that we meet at. I started up, Bhu'ja following closely as we climbed up together. The view had always been one of my favorites on this tree, it cast a knowing eye over everything.

"What shall we name the babe?" I asked with a soft smile, leaning against the moss covered trunk.

Bhu'ja trilled and turned from the view to face me, sharing the branch's length.

"In my clan, it is normal for the female to name the suckling." He said, his deep voice surrounding me with a tangible calm.

"Well you are here now," I replied, keeping my balance as I boldly made my way out on the branch toward him. "And here both parents take part in naming the babe."

Bhu'ja instantly met me in the middle of the branch and caught me around the waist, ushering me back to the safety of the tree's trunk.

"You worry me, stay here." He growled out, staring down at me with concern shining clear in his golden eyes.

"I wasn't going to fall, my love. I have more balance than you think." I snickered, eyeing him.

"That I do not doubt, but still I would feel better if you stayed away from the edge." He replied back, crossing his arms over his barrel chest. "And held on to the tree, just for extra measure."

I nearly rolled my eyes at his never ending displays of concern, the habit only growing worst as our suckling grew. It was sweet though, I had to admit. Watching him constantly keeping an eye out for anything that could hurt us was quite endearing, I could only find myself admiring him all the more for it.

"I love you, you know this yes?" I said softly, grinning at the smug smile that slowly crept across his inhuman features.

"Yes, as I love you." He purred, nipping me on the shoulder over the bite that had scared long ago.

"I think that Karima is a pretty name…for a daughter." I said, bumping him when he grins down at me over my apparent surrender. "It means giving or generous one."

Bhu'ja purred and moved us so that he was sitting down on the branch while leaning against the tree's trunk and I was tucked safely in his arms.

"This name pleases me. " He trilled out. "What name shall we choice for our suckling if he is male?"

"I was thinking of Mosi, it means first child. Or, perhaps Jaali. Jaali means powerful." I replied thoughtfully, catching a leaf as it spun past. Following the stem of the leaf with my finger, I smiled and let it go to watch it continue its journey at the mercy of the wind.

"I will wait till the suckling is born to choose." Bhu'ja decided after a short pause of silence. His chest rumbled with a low growl as his hands stroked circled over my stomach, the touch rough against my smoother skin.

"I agree." I sighed, watching the sun slowly set in the distance.

I snuggled closer to my husband, his body a fire against my skin and felt my thoughts begin to wonder. My life now was so altered from any other life I could have possibly lived. The very idea of becoming a mother was overwhelming in itself. So many things had changed, for me and for my people. Even for Bhu'ja, who I owed so much to. Even my life wouldn't serve as payment enough.

But, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

And even though our family lost someone, someone dear, a new little adventure would soon fill her place. And, along with our babe, we would pave a new way of life.

A new beginning.


End file.
